A Letter to Our Followers

January 2022

In the nearly two years since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of Havasu Falls to tourism, there has been a frustrating lack of information for SAVE to report to our supporters regarding the status of the pack animals there. We thought this might be a good time to reacquaint our longtime supporters, as well as our new followers, with the history of SAVE and our accomplishments to date.

For a long time, SAVE's founder, Susan Ash, had been hearing about the deplorable conditions of the pack animals in Havasupai. Reports of starvation, abuse and neglect had been circulating in the community of Flagstaff for many years. As a longtime horse owner herself, this concerned Susan greatly, so she attempted to get in contact with Havasupai tribal leadership and offer them some assistance. After months of trying and getting absolutely no response, she got fed up. In early February 2016, Susan formed Save Havasupai Horses — referred to as SAVE — an online coalition of equine owners, animal welfare organizations and advocates. She also went to the FBI with her concerns.

In early March of 2016 agents from the FBI, BIA, US Dept of Agriculture and US Postal Service raided the home of Havasupai Tribe member Leland Joe, a notorious animal abuser who had been reported to the tribal council previously. Federal authorities arrested him on multiple felony counts of animal abuse and neglect, and seized four of his horses which were in deplorable condition, one near death (pictured). Consequently, Leland Joe was successfully prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office in Flagstaff and was sent to prison, put on probation for three years, and prohibited from owning horses for a number of years. The Leland Joe case was groundbreaking in that it was the first ever federal prosecution of a Native American tribe member of animal abuse.

SAVE did not stop with Leland Joe, as we knew he was just one of several Havasupai wranglers who were willfully neglecting and abusing their pack animals. We started a social media campaign to expose the direct abuse that many pack horses, mules and donkeys were suffering at the hands of these wranglers. This garnered the attention of the local media. In June of 2017, the Arizona Republic, Phoenix’s largest newspaper, turned it into a front page story. In response, the Havasupai Tribe hired a public relations professional in Phoenix to counteract all the negative publicity they were facing due to SAVE's campaign efforts. Several Phoenix TV stations also did stories on the abuse, but rather than acknowledge or address the issue, the Tribe merely took cover behind their spokesperson and refused to engage with SAVE or the public.

Meanwhile, SAVE was gaining a large following on Facebook from all over the world. People could not believe that this level of cruelty could be happening in PLAIN VIEW of the 30,000+ tourists who visit Havasu Falls every year. The truth was that it had been occurring for decades, but it was finally being brought to the attention of the masses by social media. In addition to individual hikers, a number of third-party outfitter and guide services had started bringing groups of tourists to Havasu Falls for a “glamping” experience. Wildland Trekking and Discovery Treks in Flagstaff, along with some smaller companies, were charging up to $2,500 for a three-night camping experience at Havasu Falls. They brought down all manner of food and equipment on the backs of the pack animals, including folding tables, camp stoves, tents, loaded ice chests and even yoga tables.

The overloading of the pack animals by Havasupai packers had become an even bigger problem, yet the outfitters turned a blind eye to the abuse, as they were profiting greatly from this business. The often underweight and overburdened animals were made to run on portions of trail while fully loaded with gear, which not only exhausted them but caused injuries to their backs and limbs. To make matters worse, they were not given any water at the Hilltop staging area before being forced to trek back down the switchbacks and sandy wash another 7-9 miles. The outfitters had so much business that some of the pack horses, mules and donkeys made two roundtrips in one day, and often in brutal summer temperatures.

In response to SAVE’s exposure of these barbaric practices, public outcry continued to grow. With the constant and increased pressure from our supporters and the media, some positive changes have been made:

Our first success was getting REI and National Geographic Adventures to stop offering trips to Havasu Falls. This happened fairly quickly once they became aware of the full scope of the abuse.
We contacted award-winning investigative journalist George Knapp at KLAS TV Las Vegas, who did a series exposing the practices of the Havasupai packers, which aired between 2017 and 2018. He won an Emmy for the series and it was widely viewed. View Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3. (Note: The video in Part 1 is currently unavailable but you can still read the article. We are working on getting the video restored.)
Shortly thereafter, the Havasupai Tribal Council made the decision to ban all third-party outfitters. This was a huge success and it took a tremendous amount of weight off of the animals’ backs.
A second article in the Arizona Republic along with a number of stories in the Flagstaff Daily Sun and other newspapers followed, along with a story on the Fox TV affiliate in Phoenix.
SAVE also produced a short film which debuted at the Equus Film Festival in 2018 in New York City. ”Trail of Blood: Saving the Horses of Havasu Canyon” has garnered one million views!
In 2019 the Havasupai Tribe implemented a water system at the Hualapai Hilltop staging area, something SAVE had long advocated for. While we still continued to hear reports of empty water troughs and sporadic use of the watering system, it was still a step in the right direction.
A shade structure was also constructed at Hilltop, another thing we had long advocated for.
Most importantly, SAVE has been directly responsible for or involved in the rescue of 14 horses from the Havasupai reservation. All but two of these animals have not only survived, but have been placed in loving homes.

When tribe eventually opens the canyon back up to tourism, SAVE will be watching carefully. We will continue our mission to make sure that every horse, mule and donkey is treated humanely and has adequate access to food, water and medical care.

We cannot do our work without supporters like you who care enough to follow our efforts and help us educate as many people as possible. Everyone needs to know, and know before they go. SAVE is very grateful for our loyal supporters—and we still need more of you! Please help us spread the word, and pledge to NEVER hire the pack animals.

Our sincerest thanks.