Hal and Gloria

by Cheryl Kucsera

For the first 25 of their 27 years, Hal and Gloria -- two very friendly mules -- suffered a tremendous amount of cruelty and neglect. During those long, sad 25 years, the man who "owned" Hal and Gloria, kept them on a dirt lot that was devoid of grass. The badly neglected mules kept escaping the deplorable conditions -- in search of greener pastures no doubt! Sadly, every time, the man would get them back, he would severely and cruelly punish these gentle, sensitive creatures by tying their head to their hoof!

An elderly woman, who had a small, private animal sanctuary in South Carolina, frequently passed by the dirt lot. The pitiful sight of Hal and Gloria on this barren lot -- especially when they were being punished -- broke her heart. In order to get them out of this horrible situation, she offered many times to purchase the mules from the man. About two years ago, the man finally agreed to sell the mules to her. Freedom at last!

For two years, the kind, elderly woman gave Hal and Gloria the best of care and showered them with lots of TLC. The mules had a new lease on life and flourished thanks to the attentive care, love and kindness they received. Recently, though, she found it was becoming increasingly difficult -- both physically as well as financially -- to maintain her sanctuary. Realizing she could no longer take care of the animals, she began looking for homes for all of them. She contacted Oohmahnee Farm Sanctuary (in Pennsylvania). They took Hal and Gloria. Oohmahnee Farm Sanctuary then contacted Poplar Spring about providing a permanent home for the mules.

Hal and Glorida arrived at Poplar Spring in mid-April and quickly settled into their new home -- their FOREVER home. They enjoy hanging out with their new pals, horses: Darcy, Tally and Danny, and Ebony the pony in the spacious, grassy pasture.

Despite all the cruelty and neglect that Hal and Gloria endured at the hands of that man, they actually enjoy being around people. They would love for you to come out and meet them!