I live in “wild” horse central. I see them all over, they are several times over what biologists consider a sustainable population level, and yet their protections are greater than actually endangered native animals. If the Trump admin is behind it, well a stopped clock is right twice a day, this is one thing I can’t get worked up about. We tolerate and even encourage non-native life so it does not mean they should be eradicated from the landscape. But they should be managed like other animals are, but they cannot be, besides things like an ineffective and expensive temporary sterilization program every few years.
I’m a softie too. The Lewis and Clark expedition ate a considerable quantity of both Horse and Dog at times, because in those days game was scarce in the mountain ranges and was very lean. They were eating about 10 pounds of lean Elk or Venison per person per day and were still hungry and getting sick (Fat is essential). They would stitch up hundreds of pairs of Moccasins ahead of time during down time, they didn’t last very long on the trail, and they even dipped into those for sustenance. At least they were new Moccasins. Yeesh.
I read somewhere that deer and other suburban wildlife populations can be controlled with oral contraceptives, such as a component of salt licks. I wonder if something like that can be developed for the wild horses?
Maybe, but the problem with that kind of approach is it is difficult if not impossible in the field to restrict it only to the target horsey population, I expect.
Anything like that is way out of the price ranges of State Game and Fish commissions. No dollars left for that.
Sterilizing feral hogs would actually increase field productivity for farmers,( I believe )but they can’t even get the the idiots in the state house to give money for the University to study it.
Not ever gonna happen. In any big way.
I remember when that giraffe was culled, and fed to the lions. IIRC, it was because of inbreeding, and they couldn’t find another zoo that would take him.
In Denmark? Yeah, not because he himself was inbred, but because suitable partners they could find were too closely related.
Animal disposal is a big concern. When Texas had that freeze a couple years ago, there was some talk about using it for food banks or whatever, but they wouldn’t be considered table ready legally, and the logistics to process for zoos etc. is overwhelming. Like how during a disaster, aid charities have to publicly tell people that donating money is most effective, because the don’t have the manpower to process thousands of canned or perishable goods.
In a wildlife standpoint, things that cause population congregations like carcasses or salt licks can be bad. Drought causes congregating on water sources which breed midges and mosquitos, in North America causing the epizootic hemorrhagic disease and blue tongue outbreaks last year, brucellosis between wild and domestic sheep or bison, malaria throughout the world, and so on.