As a controversial free-roaming horse cull continues west of Sundre ñ with proponents and opponents remaining deeply divided over whether the animals should be captured or left free ñ Wildrose MLA Joe Anglin has jumped into the debate.
Anglin, whose Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre riding includes the West Country where the horses live, says the Redford government needs to stop the cull of 200 animals immediately pending further scientific investigation.
In a Gazette interview, Anglin says the government is acting irresponsibly if it allows the cull to continue.
"To just issue a cull order without any scientific basis, they are guessing and that doesn't make sense,î said Anglin. "Here they are moving forward and the real question is why? To guess at it doesn't make any sense.
"I'm disappointed that there has been no real paper or study that says what we know about the herd and this is why we need to cull.
"When you want to manage a herd you want good knowledge on the herd. We do this with elk and deer, based on good scientific data. It defies common sense to go ahead with the cull without having good scientific data.î
Last month the province announced the cull, which will see up to 200 animals captured west of Sundre. It is now underway.
Once captured by authorized capture licence holders, the animals become the property of the holder.
Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD) spokesperson Carrie Sancartier says the cull is necessary to relieve pressure on plants and wildlife in the area.
"The reason behind this is that feral horses aren't native wildlife and for that reason they don't have natural predators and they share the same food source as wildlife and livestock,î Sancartier.
The province says the 900 free-roaming horses west of Sundre are feral; opponents of the cull say the horses are wild.
The Olds-based Wild Horses of Alberta Society (WHOAS) has called for the cull to be stopped, with president Bob Henderson saying it is not needed.
"It is just a matter of time before the freedom and lives of these beautiful horses comes to an end. WHOAS is absolutely opposed to this capture and maintains that despite the AESRD's arguments, there is no need for this method of alleged population management,î said Henderson.
Bearberry resident Eva Conway says a recent motor vehicle collision involving a free-roaming horse west of Sundre is a good indication of the need to cull the herd.
On Feb. 1 Conway's son struck a horse on a roadway near Bearberry, northwest of Sundre, heavily damaging the vehicle and killing the horse.
Conway says many Bearberry residents are in favour of the capture program.
"The horses are everywhere, getting onto people's leases and eating all the grass,î said Conway. "I think the cull is worthwhile. Look at the accident; my kid could have been killed.
"I think the herd should be managed so there are not too many horses out there. When the horses are out there scraping in the wintertime, they wreck the grass for the spring. The horses eat all the grass so there is nothing for the cows. And sometimes people who can't feed their horses just drop them off out there.î
The horses also eat seedlings planted by loggers, causing economic damage to the industry, she said.
"We are overrun with horses out there,î she said.
On the weekend of February 1 and 2, about 20 people who have been following and contributing to the Facebook page Help Alberta Wildies dropped feed near horse capture sites in an effort to get the horses to feed there instead of going to sites.
"We are concerned about the capture,î said Olds-area resident Darrell Glover, a member of the group. "We are a group of people who are trying to deter the horses from being captured. We disagree with the government's reason for doing this cull. If the horses have feed to keep them away from the traps, that makes us happy.
"We dropped off some hay and some oats. We drove out to the vicinity of where the horse capture site is, about a kilometre from the site we laid down some hay.î
Asked if they plan to leave any more feed, he said, "That is to be determined. We are going to wait and see.î
Asked if he is concerned about the possibility of being charged for interfering with a lawful capture, he said no.
An online petition launched in January and calling on the provincial government to cancel the cull has garnered thousands of signatures, according to organizers.
Adrienne Calvert, with the Ontario-based Canadian Wild Horse Foundation, the group organizing the petition, says she hopes it will convince the provincial government to stop the cull.
"It should be stopped until there is scientific proof that it is needed,î said Calvert. "The latest data they have out counts in from March 2013, and since then you've had the major floods and a very tough winter.
"In Western Canada horse populations once numbered in the millions. Currently, unprotected and routinely ëculled', these wild horses are being indiscriminately sent to slaughter for human consumption. If we don't act now to study and protect them, Alberta's wild horses will be gone and forever lost.î
The petition reads, in part: "I'm calling on all Canadians and the international community to join me in demanding that the Canadian government, both provincial and federal, finally commit to protect our wild horses by creating cohesive legislation under which all our wild horses will be protected and granted the freedom to roam our public lands, which is as much theirs as it is ours.
"Stop the cull and review this out-of-date management strategy. Support independent environmental and biological studies and work towards cohesive national wild horse legislation.î
She said the petition will remain open for a couple more weeks and will then be sent to Premier Alison Redford and AESRD Minister Robin Campbell and other Alberta government ministers.
Meanwhile, MLA Anglin says he has no confidence that the Redford government will act on his recommendation that the cull be suspended.
"This government is a funny government,î said Anglin. "They don't respond well unless there is a public outcry.î
He said his party "supports scientifically supported methods to manage and protect a healthy herd of feral horses. Hunting, trapping, culling and scientific tagging are very important tools in wildlife management.
"However, should culling be required (regarding the Sundre-area horses) Wildrose would give priority to an adoption program instead of the current slaughter method the government is endorsing.î
