Horse Sanctuary Closer to Reality

Philanthropist and businesswoman Madeleine Pickens says she is one step closer to her dream of a sprawling sanctuary for wild horses to be built in northern Nevada. Pickens first told the I-Team about her plan for a sanctuary two years ago during an aerial tour of northern Nevada ranches. She hoped to buy a ranch with her own money, donate it to a non-profit foundation, then add public range creating an eco-tourism center in Elko County which could be home to thousands of already captured mustangs. Wednesday, Pickens confirmed she has signed a deal for ranch property up north. "I'm really excited. The check went out today. It got wire transferred. I'm purchasing a ranch and hopefully the BLM will co-operate, if not I guess I"ll just have to graze cows like everyone else. It would be a shame because my desire is not to be a cattle rancher," she added, "We are asking the government since they have removed these horses from the public land that they have a fiscal and moral responsibility to take care of these horses." Pickens says the combined property encompasses more than 900 square miles. Though she still needs the BLM to give its permission to use adjacent public range for horses instead of for cattle grazing...more