The province has yet to develop a long-term management strategy for the wild horses of Alberta, a stagnation that has left their future in limbo. Some are hopeful that the results from a five-year contraception pilot project will prove successful.
The province has yet to develop a long-term management strategy for the wild horses of Alberta, a stagnation that has left their future in limbo.
Some are hopeful that the results from a five-year contraception pilot project will prove successful.
Some remain unconvinced that contraception is necessary and maintain that the wild horses should be self-managed, as nature intended.
The bulk of the province's feral horses - or wildies - can be found in a 490 square-kilometre range west of Sundre, and some along the Ghost-Waiparous region, as well as other equine zones in the province.
The province's spring count this year identified a total population of 851 horses (including foals).
Presently the wildies are protected from being hunted, snared or captured by the Stray Animal Act with the exception of the province - who can call a capture season at their discretion during the winter months.
The 2014-15 round-up saw 48 horses captured, 26 of which were placed with the Sundre-based Wild Horses of Alberta Society (WHOAS) and the balance sold at auction.
“We are opposed to any indiscriminate culling…we want to see the herd stabilized, ” explained Bob Henderson, director at WHOAS.
The non-profit organization was formed in 2002 following public outcry over the capture and destruction of several wildies along the Eastern Slopes.
The volunteer-run society was formed as an advocacy group, or voice, for the horses, having built a rescue/handling facility near Sundre.
Henderson confirmed that the bulk of horses captured and sold at auction would end up being slaughtered, if not taken in by rescue societies such as theirs.
In an effort to protect the herd, while waiting for the government to devise a game plan, WHOAS proposed to conduct a contraception pilot project, entering into a five-year agreement with the province.
“No decision has been made for the 2016-17 season… The feral horse round-up in 2015 was deferred while the department continued to work on a long-term management plan, ” explained Kyle Ferguson, spokesperson for the province.
Horses within four of the equine zones are protected as part of the contraception program but horses in the other five zones could be at-risk for capture, according to Henderson who added that they are currently in year three of the five-year program.
The contraception program uses Zona Stat-H, a form of Porcine Zona Pellucia (known as PZP).
“We are using this (PZP) vaccination because we believe it's the safest way to manage the wild horse population, ” said Henderson.
The PZP vaccine is believed to have an efficacy rate between 70-80 per cent; a booster shot within one year is believed to increase that efficacy rate upwards of 90 per cent.
Dr. Bruce Stover is the veterinarian who has taken the reins on overseeing the administration of PZP.
To date, some 73 mares have received their initial vaccination, with only 16 having received their boosters; teams will begin tracking and administering boosters after Nov. 30.
“What we are trying to do is offer a (management) solution and to get a social license…we are doing our best to make sure our work is science-based to inform an undeniable, science-based feral horse management plan, ” explained Stover, adding that mares chosen for vaccination have already thrown foals, therefore already contributing to the gene pool.
Dr. Sandie Hucal is the founder of Free Spirit Sanctuary, located 30 minutes northwest of Cochrane. The sanctuary takes in feral and semi-feral horses, donkeys and mules and provides them a safe place to live out their days - rather than being sent for slaughter.
A long-time advocate for the self-management of Alberta's wildies, Hucal said while she would advocate for a contraception pilot if it meant keeping horses from being slaughtered - she does have concerns for the scientific evidence that supports the use of PZP.
“Implementation of PZP contraception is certainly better than sending wild horses to slaughter; however, I think it first needs to be determined whether management is actually necessary at the current population density, ” said Hucal.
“There is absolutely no evidence beyond anecdotal reports by grazing lease holders that the wild horses are causing any significant degradation to the rangeland. ”
Hucal is concerned that proponents for the administration of the PZP vaccine are only administering for fear that the government would otherwise issue a round-up and not because there is any scientific data that the wildie population is increasing.
She added that wild animal populations tend to self-regulate and she would like to see a “moratorium on capture and contraception for two to three years, while solid research is carried out to enable evidence-based management ”.
Stover also discussed self-regulation, citing the 2013 winter as a particularly cold season that saw the death of more horses than average.
He expressed frustration that the province has yet to formulate a management plan and emphasized that the PZP project is in fact, saving the lives of wildies.
Henderson said the notion of self-management is simply not realistic - that there are too many stakeholder groups pushing for annual round-ups.
“Our contraception program will work and is the best solution to humanely manage the wild horse population. ”
Those who advocate for a human-led feral horse management plan include some ranchers and logging companies - such as Spray Lake Sawmills (SLS).
“Certainly wild horses do present a reforestation challenge, ” explained Ed Kulcsar, woodlands manager for SLS, adding that feral horses have been known to trample or eat the tops of seedlings.
“In terms of dealing with the population, we do sit on the province's Feral Horse Advisory Committee with the goal to come up with a management strategy…anywhere where horses congregate poses a challenge, ” he said, adding that “overall range health ” must be taken into account when developing a feral horse management plan.
Henderson said that WHOAS - which is also on the provincial advisory committee - has asked the government to provide clarity regarding the carrying capacity of the range inhabited by the horses but have yet to receive an answer or any scientific data to show that the horses exceed range capacity.
According to Ferguson, “feral horse populations are believed to be increasing in the equine management zones. Trends from counts over the last decade show an upward trend. Without effective natural predation the annual birth rate of feral horses exceeds their natural mortality, leading to significant population increases. ”
According to WHOAS, however, the population does not seem to be increasing.
“In our opinion, any count data from prior to 2012 is not relevant, ” said Stover, explaining that counts prior to that did not encompass enough range or utilize efficient technologies for accurate counting.
Stover and Henderson both said that WHOAS uses a very advanced database.
The cost to administer a dose of PZP is roughly $30 per shot (not including equipment use and volunteer time).
To learn more about WHOAS, visit wildhorsesofalberta.com.
