They’re the largest unregulated species of wild animal in Alberta. And they’re also at the heart of many a popular song and the logo of a particular football team in Calgary..The question of whether horses are truly ‘wild’ animals is at the heart of a new feral horse management framework introduced by the Forestry and Parks department on Monday.. Horse management zonesAlberta equine management zones .Presently there are more than 1,400 feral — or wild — horses located in half a dozen equine management zones along the Eastern slopes. All of them are descendants of domesticated animals that predate the Industrial Revolution, which either escaped or were set free from mining and logging camps or farms in the early 1900s..The problem is that horses aren’t considered to be ‘native’ species, having gone extinct in North America after the last Ice Age and then reintroduced by Christopher Columbus in 1493. As such they’ve been regulated under the Stray Animals Act that covers dogs and cats since 1900..And just like other wild species, overpopulation has negative impacts on public rangelands and ecosystems from overgrazing. With few natural predators, feral horses can also negatively affect wildlife, birds, fish, cattle and vegetation, the province said in a release..By contrast, most game and livestock species have long had management plans, including trout, bighorn sheep and grizzly bears, to name a few..Wildlife management officials have long complained the public has an unrealistic, romanticized view of wild horses springing from popular culture that doesn’t apply to other species of game animals..Despite previous efforts to ‘manage’ populations — usually through culls or unauthorized roundups — the animals have been essentially left to themselves since 2015 after a public outcry over the ethics surrounding wholesale slaughter of the beasts..And despite a contraception program since then, their numbers continue to grow. As of this year, there were about 1,300 feral horses on the landscape or nearly a third of all the wild horses in Canada..In previous decades, the horses were rounded up for Canada’s effort in the First World War and even the Boer War..The new policy aims to strike a balance between maintaining existing populations while enhancing the sustainability of the landscapes they live in..Under a three-tiered system — red, yellow and green — the province will be able to implement a variety of population control methods including the issue of trapping permits, contraception and even euthanization of sick or diseased animals. Permit holders can even get permission to catch and sell the horses for food..The framework includes a pilot project with the Wild Horses of Alberta Society where capture permits are issued to place distressed or nuisanced feral horses into adoption programs — much like stray cats and dogs. In addition, Alberta will work through the universities to coordinate research and long term monitoring of populations before thresholds are met..It also includes a combination of traditional native population control methods..“While past efforts to inform and engage Albertans on feral horses were unsuccessful, our management framework outlines clear, simple and honest efforts that we hope will resonate with Albertans and ensure we maintain the sustainability of the landscape where feral horses live."."Alberta’s feral horses are part of our culture and are appreciated by many Albertans,” said Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen.
