by: Christa Lesté-Lasserre
September 08 2011, Article # 18793
A Canadian logging company wants the number of free-roaming horses inAlberta reduced, but a Canadian wild horse advocacy group argues that the company’s complaints against the horses are unfounded.
(Henderson believes there are about 550 feral horses living inAlberta.)
Sundre Forest Products’ spokesperson Tom Daniels said the herds have grown too numerous for the area, are destroying young seedling trees, and are sometimes even aggressive toward forest workers, CBC News Canada reported.
But Bob Henderson, president of the Wild Horses of Alberta Society, based in Olds, Alberta, said the horses are causing no harm and are living harmoniously with nature.
“The information being put out by the logging conglomerates is basically a fabrication based on lack of facts or scientific evidence,”Henderson said.
Rest of story here: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=18793
It’s not in the nature of a Horse to be aggressive. They are a Flight animal. Horses are not the ones who destroy trees usually it’s Elk, Deer Moose and other animals who use them as rubs and eat the lower leaves. What is the Logging Company going to do if not destroy the trees? Trees are necessary in our ecosystem to keep harmony with carbons and also to filter toxins poured in to the enviroment daily by dangerous chemicals. It’s the logging companies feeble excuse to rid Canada of these Wild Horses and, Horse advocates need to rise up and fight this, tooth and nail, to the bitter end. Canada, don’t let them eliminate your Wild Horses as BLM is endeavoring to do in the USA. We are fighting and you must fight, too. Good Luck..
What this biased logging company conveniently fails to mention are grazing and browsing wildlife populations in Alberta: Elk (26,000) , Mule Deer (200,000), Whitetail (150,000), and Moose (118,00o). I don’t know how many are in this specific area, but my my guess is a lot.
“Anecdotally, just from what we see out there, we know horses are browsing the tops of our seedlings,” he said. “Anecdotal” evidence doesn’t equal science. From what I’ve read, horses don’t particularly like to eat conifers, but Elk and deer dine on them regularly, especially in early spring. And deer are notorious for stripping growing conifers in Winter and early Spring,
“The horses are also a potential traffic hazard (as are the wildlife), as well as a problem for employees, he added.” The quote from the linked article is: “We’ve had staff threatened by A HORSE while they were out working in the field.” A HORSE, as in ONE! (Bad edit. Reporter, do thy homework!) BTW, I hope they never encounter a Mama Moose!
And all of the above have hooves (Moose have huge hooves, and Elk have big ones as well.). Off-roaders (including hunters) run over and snap young trees in all seasons. Hundreds of hunters tramp through Alberta. I bet they’ve stepped on more than one sapling!
Wildlife and humans make significant contributions to habitat distruction. Wild horses continue to get the blame, because they’re an easy target … literally.
Leave the wild horses alone,research first before blaming the wild horse,check out the deer,elk,moose and cattle first before blaming the wild horses .