Helping the Havasu Pack Horses

Next week, my husband and I were supposed to be going on a dream vacation to the spectacularly beautiful Havasu Falls, located on one of the tributaries of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.  Several years ago, we’d rafted the lower portion of the Grand Canyon, and during that trip we’d been able to take a side excursion, hiking a short way up the incomparable Havasu Canyon — but didn’t have enough time to reach the falls.  One of the photos that I took on that hike is pasted in here.

Ever since then, we’d wanted to come back and visit the famous falls.  So last autumn my husband had secretly booked a guided trip for us to Havasu Falls, and the excursion was intended to be a nice surprise for me.  I didn’t find out where we were going until only a couple of weeks ago, and ever since then I had become increasing excited about the adventure to come.

Excursions to the falls normally begin at Hualapai Hilltop, and hikers traverse downhill steeply through a series of switchbacks to the canyon floor below — with an elevation loss of about 2,400 ft.  It can be a tough backpacking route, so my husband had booked an excursion that would involve hiking 10 miles down to the falls with only a daypack, leaving the rest of the gear and food to be carried by the Havasu pack horses.  And that was the happy dream.  But then a few days ago, we saw a shocking Facebook post that began to turn our dream vacation into a potential nightmare.  What the post revealed is that the natural beauty of the blue-green waters is marred by the cruel treatment that some of the Havasu pack horses experience.

Running the Havasu Horses Ragged

The post that we saw contained recent photos showing a downed Havasu pack horse, and the caption indicated that the wrangler had kicked the downed animal rather than coming to its aid.  I was shocked to think that the Havasu pack animals could be abused in this way.  Several years ago, my husband and I took a mule trip through Yosemite (see the photo on the right), and the mules on that trip were healthy and in excellent condition.  It stands to reason that the mules in a national park like Yosemite would be well treated, because presumably those wranglers must comply with federal laws.

And although we knew that Havasu Canyon is located on tribal land, it had not occurred to us that some of the Native Americans might abuse their pack animals.  Granted, some of the tribal wranglers apparently take excellent care of their animals — but some do not.  The more we researched the situation, the more alarmed we became.  As we soon found out, the abuse depicted in that Facebook post was not an isolated incident.  And a recent television report from the CBS affiliate in Las Vegas revealed additional alarming information; namely, if we hiked down the trail in Havasu Canyon, we would be likely to see the remains of pack animals who had died on the trail.

The plight of the animals has not gone unnoticed, and at least two organizations are working to raise awareness of the situation and bring aid to the animals.  One of the organizations, called Stop Animal Violence (SAVE), has established a website that serves as a clearinghouse; it contains a gallery where tourists who observe the mistreatment of the pack animals can post photos and information.  The site also contains a detailed prescription for solving the problem.  It calls for regular inspection of the horses, shade above their hitching posts, sufficient food and water, adequate rest for the animals, and many other reasonable provisions.

Our Quandary: What’s the Right Thing to Do?

Having seen this information about the pack animals, my husband and I were faced with a dilemma: what would we do about our imminent trip to the Falls?  We’d been looking forward to hiking along the turquoise creek, camping under the cottonwoods, and taking pictures of the stunningly beautiful falls.  But, at the same time, we couldn’t ignore the plight of the Havasu pack horses.

I should mention that I have a long history with horses.  When I was a young girl and my friends were carrying dolls around, I opted for stuffed horses.  As a child I sketched horses, read books about horses, and went horseback riding whenever I could.  And during my life I have owned two Tennessee Walking Horses.  And though I don’t have much chance to spend time with horses now, my appreciation for them runs deep — and I would be traumatized to witness the kind of abuse depicted in the photos and in the television report.

So as soon as we saw that Facebook posting, we contacted our outfitter to express our concerns and to find out if our equipment could be carried down another way.  We thought maybe we could switch to their backpacking option, although truthfully we were not sure we’re sufficiently trained for carrying full packs into and out of the Grand Canyon.  We also thought perhaps our gear could be carried by the helicopter that flies into and out of the canyon several days per week.

Our outfitter indicated that neither of the options that we proposed would work; but they hoped we would be relieved to know that the wrangler who works with them is the same one that carries the U.S. mail via pack animals into the canyon, delivering it to the village of Supai.  Our outfitter stated that their wrangler is held to a higher standard than other wranglers on the trail, as his animals must pass federal inspection every two weeks.

While we were glad to have that information, we remained alarmed that we might encounter abuse being perpetrated by other wranglers or might see carcasses on the trail.  Our outfitter told us that the Havasupai are suffering from poverty and that they are working to address tribal problems related to health and education.  And as our outfitter noted, tourism is the main source of income for the tribal members, and those dollars are needed to help improve the standard of living for their families and animals.  But the outfitter also stated that we would have to “brace ourselves for a few uncomfortable sights.”

My husband and I do understand about the challenges that Native American tribes are facing, and we have certainly been willing to support the improvement of their lives by investing in tourism.  Last spring we spent a whole week in Monument Valley — where we booked several private sunrise and sunset photo tours led by Native American guides.  The guides were very open with us during those tours about the challenges faced by the tribes, and we understand that many of their problems were created by the treatment they received from the US government and from white settlers on their land.  Hearing about some of the struggles that they have faced as a community, we did indeed feel uncomfortable at times.  Yet that is a whole different thing than witnessing animal abuse.

Animal Advocacy is My Mission

What we tried to explain to the outfitter is that I am very involved with animal advocacy and that I care deeply about all kinds of animals — as well as marginalized groups of humans — because I believe that the circle of compassion can be widened to include all living beings.  And I have trained to be a vegan chef primarily because of the ethical reasons for a meat-free diet, although I appreciate the considerable environmental and health benefits that result from my chosen lifestyle.  I believe it is my mission to speak up for those who have no voice.  In short, animal advocacy is not just what I do, it’s who I *am.*

Abuse Happens Everywhere

I also realize that Native Americans are not the sole perpetrators of animal abuse.  Nearly every day it seems that I am confronted with heart-wrenching stories of neglect and abuse, and often these stories haunt me for days.  I do what I can to manage that discomfort by organizing projects to help animals in need — most recently having organized a project at my Unitarian Universalist congregation to provide better conditions for dogs who spend their lives on chains in the backyards of homes in the southeastern U.S.  It was painful to know about their plight, but in the end I was able to derive some comfort from knowing that their lives have been directly improved as a result of our project.  So, do I want to “brace myself for a few uncomfortable sights” involving animal neglect or abuse when I go with my husband on vacation?  Maybe not.

Social Pressure Creates Change

I understand the outfitter’s point that bringing tourist dollars to Havasu Falls will help to support the tribe and potentially provide funds for better care of the animals.  Yet it is my opinion that real, lasting change will happen when tourists speak up and decline to come to the area until the problem is solved.  With their livelihood at stake, I think the tribal members would be much faster to implement the necessary changes.  If people look the other way and come to Havasu regardless of the problem, there is not nearly as much incentive for the tribal members to change how they treat the animals.  Indeed, it is this kind of social pressure that convinced Sea World to stop breeding their orcas.  I am heartened to see a growing wave of awareness that indicates people are coming to realize that animals have lives and feelings of their own, and that employing them to serve our human needs must be done very carefully.

To their credit, our outfitters made an extremely generous offer:  to refund our money or to apply those funds toward a future trip with them in another location.  In the end, we opted for the latter.  So we’ll miss seeing Havasu Falls next week but will instead visit a couple of the national parks and the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah.  Visiting the sanctuary will help us to focus on the positive side of human-animal interactions; truthfully, we are a bit traumatized by the research we’ve done in the past few days regarding the Havasu pack horses.

Want to help?

There are several things you can do to help the Havasu pack horses.  You can: 1) spread the word about the problem; 2) contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs to express your concerns;  and 3) send donations to SAVE, to Wild Horse Ranch Rescue, or to other organizations that are working to help the Native Americans and their pack animals.  Please help us to help the Havasu pack horses.