Alberta's wild horse population in decline

The Alberta government has counted 10 per cent fewerwild horses in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains this year, butsays it is too early to say whether it will rein in an annualroundup of some of these animals.

Alberta Environment spokeswoman Carrie Sancartier said 880 feralhorses were counted over five days in March, down by about 100 from2013.

These latest numbers were presented this week to a committee thatadvises the government on what to do with the horses, which are notnative to the region and compete for grass with cattle and wildanimals such as elk.

"This will provide important information for the committee as itconsiders where to target management efforts in the future,"Sancartiersaid Wednesday."There hasn't been a decision made on a capture season for nextyear."

The committee includes horse welfare, livestock, forestry,hunting and conservation groups.

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Sancartier said the actual number of horses along the foothillscould be higher because the animals are counted from the air byhelicopter.

The province said just 15 of the horses were rounded up duringthe last capture season, which can run from Nov. 1 until March 1,despite permits that would have allowed as many as 200 to be taken.

The roundup drew the ire of animal rights activists who said someof the captured horses were destined for slaughterhouses.

The culling is also opposed by some people who believe the horsesshould be treated as part of Alberta's cowboy heritage.

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Earlier this year the government said the capture was necessaryto keep a ballooning population in check.

Bill desBarres of the Alberta Equestrian Federation is a memberof Alberta's feral horse advisory committee.He said up to 50 horses either died or were removed over the falland winter from the herds along the foothills.

Some were captured and others were found wandering outside thesix areas where they freely roam.

He said the drop in numbers is no reason for concern at thispoint and said it is too early to make a decision about whetheranother roundup is needed.

"It does not ring any alarm bells," he said.

Issue of management

The challenge is to carefully manage the population of the horsesto ensure they have enough to eat.

"Obviously if they run out of food it is not humane to leavethem out there to starve."

Alberta Environment says wild horses like to gather in grasslandareas, including native grasslands like rough fescue, which aresensitive to over-grazing, especially in the spring.Ranchers pay fees to the government to use these same areas tograze livestock.

The government says these horses have no natural predators,although a few are sometimes killed by wolves or cougars.

The horses are descendants of domestic animals used in loggingand mining operations in the early 1900s.

DesBarres said the committee will make its recommendation to thegovernment about whether another roundup is needed to help controlthe size of the wild horse population as early as July.