CALGARY- They’re majestic creatures with a link to the Wild West, but the fate of Alberta’s wild horses is now in the hands of the province.
About 800 wild horses roam the hills, descendants from early settler’s farms.
“They now live in the wild, they reproduce in the wild, and so are considered feral,” explains Jessica Potter, from Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. Last year, the government licensed the capture of over 200 feral horses, claiming they compete with native species by eating about 25 pounds of food each, every day.
“They actually have a significant impact on the regeneration of trees…they compete with deer and elk for food and can alter the ecosystem and alter the grazing lands that are there for cattle.”
Most of the horses are slaughtered for meat-which is exactly what Bob Henderson, the president of Wild Horses Alberta, is trying to stop.
“I don’t think they have to be rounded up the way they are,” he says. “Whole herds are taken away and completely eliminated.”
The association he heads is now working to protect the animals.
“They’re such an integral part of our history and our heritage, and now they’re an integral part of this whole ecosystem and the balance of nature that’s happening out here,” he adds. “They deserve to be here and they have the right to be here and we owe it to them to protect them.”
The government is currently evaluating herds and deciding how many should be captured this year. The hunt usually begins in mid-December and continues into February.
Tomorrow in part two of our special series, we’ll speak with a rancher who proves not all wild horses need to be sent to market.
With files from Sarah Offin
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