Horses Photos Courtesy of Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick The horse’s beauty and grace has captured the human imagination since our ancestors first painted images on cave walls. While wild horses, zebras and asses were once abundant throughout the Americas, Asia and Africa, there are only seven truly wild species left today -- most of which are on the endangered list. Two hundred years ago, there were more than 2 million wild horses in the United States.

Now estimates suggest only 40,000 remain in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Wyoming and other states. Since 1971 these horses were protected by acts of congress but this legislation didn’t succeed. Poachers shoot horses for sport -- even shooting their young known as foals -- often leaving them to die painful deaths. Neither truly wild nor truly domestic, these “feral” horses are rounded up yearly, sold to new owners, found to be difficult to socialize and often sent to the slaughterhouse. Some of these horses are sold to “killer buyers” who secretly sell them to slaughterhouse re-sellers for profit. 

Why would anyone kill wild horses?
Wild horses and burros “compete” for food on range land owned by cattle ranchers. By adopting a vegan/vegetarian diet, you can help save the lives of wild horses and many other wild animals. 

In 2004, federal legislation was introduced to allow the wholesale slaughter of wild horses for shipment overseas as food. The enormous public outcry against the slaughter mounted but not in time to save hundreds of wild horses and burros that were killed. New legislation was introduced on may 18, 2006 to stop the slaughter of wild horses and burros. The U.S. house of representatives unanimously approved a measure to protect them. But, this ban must become permanent. Tell congress to protect all horses and burros from slaughter for food. CLICK HERE.

A Success Story: Wild Horse Contraception
Wildlife contraception has effectively controlled wild horse populations in many areas including Maryland’s Assateague Island which is part of the National Park Service system. Since 1998, wild horse growth has been successfully controlled using the PZP contraceptive vaccine (link to wildlife contraception page) developed by Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick at the Science and Conservation Center in Billings, Montana. Dr. Kirkpatrick has collaborated with the National Park Service and the Humane Society of the United States in implementing this non-intrusive method across a growing number of herd management areas. The wild horse contraceptive project has been very successful, is easy to administer (via remote darting of mares) and does not disrupt the complex social structure of wild herds. In a report it was found that $7.7 million could be saved annually by managing wild horse herds through the use of contraceptive measures alone.

On nearby Chincoteague Island in Virginia, the wild foals are rounded up, forced to swim across the channel and auctioned off each year as a fundraiser for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. Many of these foals are terrified and never successfully “tame up.” Their ultimate fate is the slaughterhouse. For information from the National Park Service on the Assateague and Chincoteague wild horse herds click here. To join an organization for wild horses, go to Lifesaver’s Inc. Wild Horse Rescue. Meet Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick and learn about his work with wild horses, deer and other animals by attending the “compassionate science” lecture series co-sponsored by noa and the PNC foundation in October, 2006. NOA funds wild horse contraception projects in the united states. If you love horses, you can help protect them now by supporting NOA.