Wild Horse Fired From Tourist Attraction for Aggressively Pursuing Visitors for Food is Loving His Life in Exile at a Beautiful Sanctuary

Chip, a wild Assateague Island horse, was removed from a Maryland tourist attraction last month by the National Park Service and is now living in a huge and loving sanctuary.

Source: Horse-Canada/Youtube

Chip is now settling in at the Black Beauty Ranch, which is a part of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Delegate’s Pride, also known as Chip, is 13 years old and is finally getting the space that he deserves. He is now quarantined on his four-acre pasture, and once he clears the mandatory isolation period, he will move to a 1,000-acre pasture to join hundreds of other rescued equines living their happily-ever-after at Black Beauty Ranch.

Noelle Almrud, senior director of Black Beauty Ranch, said, “When Chip arrived, he calmly walked off the trailer with the ease of an experienced world traveler. He dropped his head and started grazing to his heart’s content. He meanders around and when his caregivers check on him or when he sees other horses in surrounding pastures—like Dino and Durango—he takes a quick look and then goes right back to tasting every blade of grass.”

“He appears lean and fit and we are carefully examining him to make sure he is healthy, including that he has no damage from eating inappropriate human snacks constantly available from Assateague visitors. Chip seems happy, alert, and very responsive, and we are honored to provide for him everything he needs for the rest of his life.”

According to HSUS, Chip is not the first resident at Black Beauty who came from Assateague. Fabio, who is now a sanctuary senior at a whopping 29 years old, arrived in similar circumstances to Chip. Fabio came from Assateague, where he learned to associate people with food rewards, which can be dangerous to the animal and the public.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said, “Chip had to be removed from his home in the wild, through no fault of his own. He had become conditioned by tourists to come too close to people for food, which created a dangerous situation. This should have never happened. When people entice wild animals, like Chip, with treats, they are endangering their well-being and disrespecting their wild nature. That’s why it’s so important to properly store garbage and always keep your distance from wild animals. We are so glad to be able to offer Chip a safe home at our sanctuary, and yet it is a bittersweet arrival, since he never should have had to leave his wild home in the first place. People need to respect and appreciate wild animals so that we can safely co-exist with them and ensure that they thrive.”

Source: The Humane Society of the United States/Youtube

Black Beauty Ranch has nearly 800 animals living at the 1,400-acre sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to 400 equines and 40 other species, including tigers bears, primates, bison, kangaroos, exotic hoof stock, and farm animals. All of the animals at the sanctuary were rescued from testing laboratories, the exotic pet trade, roadside zoos, and other circumstances of neglect and cruelty.

Click here to Support Black Beauty and the Humane Society of the United States and sign this petition to demand all states make all animal abuse a felony now!

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