Wild Horse Patrol Ranger in Canada

I have just learned about some wild horses in British Columbia, Canada, and an effort to help protect them. In Canada, there are virtually no laws to protect wild horses (except on Sable Island off Nova Scotia and some Newfoundland ponies).

In 2002, the Xeni Gwet'in First Nations Government (Canadian Native Americans) made their entire Aboriginal Wilderness Preserve into a wild horse preserve. About 300 of these native people live in the Nemiah Valley area. The Xeni Gwet'in continually struggle to protect their homeland, as well as the wild horses' homeland. Horse population is kept in check by natural predators (including cougars and wolves), harsh winters and periodic roundups by the native people who train them for their own use. However, the native people have to continually battle industries such as logging, cattle ranchers and moose hunting in order to help preserve the wild horses. Today, the Xeni Gwet-in people continue to include horses in their life for economic and spiritual reasons. They are working on eco-tourism initiatives that will include cultural experiences and wildlife viewing.

A group called the Friends of the Nemaiah Valley (FONV) have worked with these native people to hire the first Wild Horse Patrol Ranger in Canada. The ranger, Harry, works part-time and watches over the wild horses, providing surveillance and protection. He also helps keep track of the number of horses and the make up of the various bands. There are plans to equip him with a GPS to map locations of horse sightings and their trails. He is a constant presence on the preserve. The FONV say that the preserve deserves at least two full time rangers but will need to get the appropriate funding for that. If you wish to support their program, please go to their donations page and select "Wild Horse Ranger" at http://www.fonv.ca/activities/wildhorserangers/donate.php . For more info about the Wild Horse Ranger Program, go to http://www.fonv.ca/activities/articles/wildhorses/.

Self-Stabilized Herd in Designated Wilderness Area

Here is a great example of a truly natural environment for the American wild horse WITHOUT the BLM's intervention. According to the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, the Montgomery Pass herd, located on the California-Nevada border has survived naturally, UNMANAGED by people, for about 25 years and has maintained population levels of about 150 to 200 horses. On the BLM's own web site, they state this about the Montgomery Pass herd: "This herd's population is perfectly balanced with its environment - mountain lions keep the population from getting out of control. As a result, this herd has never been gathered."

On the National Wildlife Federations web site, in a 1992 article, it states "a finding Turner made several years ago about the Montgomery Pass herd: While populations of other western wild horse herds are mushrooming, predators operating in a natural system of checks and balances keep these animals' numbers under control...John Turner began studying wild horses at Montgomery Pass in 1985, when the U.S. Forest Service proposed reducing the herd from 190 animals to 75. Before long, he became puzzled by the relatively high level of foal mortality. While 90 percent of the foals in other parts of the Great Basin survived to become yearlings, only 25 to 40 percent at Montgomery Pass made it to their first birthday. An investigation suggested the cause: 'The range wasn't overpopulated,' Turner says. 'Mountain lions had it under control.'...Turner and Wolfe have evidence indicating that at least five mountain lions prey on the Montgomery Pass herd. But it's hard to be certain with creatures as elusive as these wary cats. After 5,000 hours of field observations, only once did anyone in Turner's group actually see a mountain lion take a foal...Once they've learned to run, most horses can outpace a mountain lion. Until then, though, they are easy targets. The majority of foals that end up as cat prey are taken in late spring and summer, when the horses are just a few months old. These kills alone are enough to keep the Montgomery Pass wild horse population relatively stable."

In the Pryor Mountains, in 2007 and perhaps other years, mountain lions have been hunted, therefore reducing and/or eliminating the wild horse's natural predator. Seems pretty clear that people are disturbing the natural balance in the designated wild horse areas and then more human intervention comes in the form of round ups. Looks like we need to get back in balance with nature...

The Zero-ing Out of Our American Mustangs and Burros

Great web page from Desert Duns Horse Association about the BLM causing the extinction of our American Mustangs and Burros, including some old primitive bloodlines of the Spanish and/or Sorraia Mustang bloodlines (The Sorraia horse is an endangered species over in Europe, and the American Sorraia Mustangs carry the same DNA/genes that could be re-introduced back into the original Sorraia bloodlines.)...except for the fact that the BLM is in the middle of making our Sorraia Mustangs extinct. Check out Desert Duns numbers on the BLM round ups, the chart unfortunately shows us how the BLM is hell-bent on zero-ing out America's wild horses and burros: http://www.desertduns.com/zero-ed_out.htm.

Why are our wild horses being driven into extinction?

The BLM claims that there are too many wild horses and burros roaming free on the range. They state that the horses and burros are starving, that there is not enough forage for them on the range. I personally have seen wild horses throughout the United States, including some bands in Rock Springs, Wyoming. The horses were far from starving. In fact they were in excellent and healthy condition. And the horses being rounded up currently in the Calico Mountains in the dead of winter are for the vast majority coming into the traps in great condition (would be even better condition if they're weren't chased for miles by helicopters). So why are horses being "erradicated" from the land? Take your pick of 1) overgrazed range by cattle and sheep, 2) big game industry competition who wants the grazing land for their hunted animals and perhaps the biggest one, 3) energy and natural resources-land cleared of wild horses and burros so they don't interfere with construction, maintenance and no expensive Environmental Impact Studies. Why can't horses co-exist with all of this? Unfortunately for the horses there is no money making group backing them... Wild horses and burros were given some protection by the 1971 Wild Horse & Burro act, but it's been seriously watered down since then. The Act is pretty much non-existent anymore. Equus (wild horses and burros) originated in North America about 50 million years ago, and are in fact native. About 10,000 years ago horses and burros were supposedly extinct from this continent, although evidence of bones and skeletons keeps popping up to the contrary - only to be shot down by some "official". Funny...how convenient for the federal government. Otherwise wild horses and burros may actually have to be given native status and also placed under the "Endangered Species Act". I believe the horses and burros should be able to co-exist and that's what so many Americans want. But our voices are not being heard because they are being ignored by the federal government. It's a shame because once these old, native and non-man made blood lines are gone, they are pretty much gone... Everyone who believes that wild horses and burros are part of our American Culture and History, who knows what an important role horses and burros have played in the rising of the human civilization, fought in our wars, worked on our farms, should take action now and stand up for these American Icons. Go to the Cloud Foundation for details on how you can help and to check for the most up-to-date status of America's wild horses and burros: http://www.thecloudfoundation.org.