Re: [RC] If you are concerned about America's wild horses an... - Sisu West Ranch
"...Also, please make it a point to conact Senator Burns to let him know
how outraged you are and that he is personally responsible for this
tragedy..."
Before we go all teary eyed about the death of some unowned feral horses let
us consider some of the facts relating to unowned animals in general, and horses
in particular
In 1605 the population of people in what is now the USA was somewhere
around 20 millions. In 2005 the population of the USA is nearing 300 millions.
(I did not bother to look up the actual numbers, but there has been a very
large population increase) This tremendous increase in human population
requires that unowned animals must be managed so we have enough room to live
and grow the food, including cows, we eat.
Because the presence of ~300 million people has resulted
in a sharp decrease in the population of large predators, the numbers of large
grazing and browsing animals increases until they ruin the environment and
starve. While many people want to help large predators (Bears, cougars, and
wolves), the residents of the USA would not put up with large enough numbers
of them to control all of the grazing and browsing animals. I personally,
would not want the numbers of my horses controlled by wandering
predators.
There is one wild horse herd that has had a stable
population for the last 10 or so years. In this area the cougars have learned
how to take foals. Most foals are attacked and eaten during and after a much
more painful death than humane slaughter.
In much of our country human hunting controls the
population of large grazing and browsing animals. Unfortunately, most
Americans do not like to eat horse meat, and others would complain just as
much about hunting as they do about slaughter, so hunting is not a viable
option to control horses
There is at least enough owned and domesticated horses
available for sale in the USA to meet the demand for riding animals. The
evidence for this is the low prices horses in general command on the open
market. This supply of domestic horses, most of which are generally
superior to wild horses for casual riding and ownership, limits the demand for
captured wild horses.
Careful consideration of the above facts leads to the
inescapable conclusion that we, through our government, will have to continue to
remove many horses from the western range to protect the environment. Some of
these can be turned into owned horses, but many will have to be either kept in
less than ideal conditions or slaughtered.
The alternatives are either not feasible or desirable. We
could move almost all current residents from most of the states of ND, SD, MT,
WY, etc. and allow the Elk, Bison, Antelope, Deer, and unowned horses to live as
nature planned with their population controlled by Bear, wolves and cougar. We
could allow the large grazing animals including horses to increase in numbers
until they destroy the environment and starve.
I vote with my Senator and support his stand on
unowned, feral horses.
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
