The shooting of a wild horse in Alberta is illegal (to date has not been enforced), but the inhumane capture and sale of wild horses to slaughter is legal. Justification for this is based on the Alberta Governments classification of these animals as “feral” not “wild”, in the eyes of the perpetrators they’re ridding the area of unwanted intruders.
Dear Premier Stelmach and Prime Minister Harper;
On April 28, 2009 three wild horses were found shot to death in the Foothills of Central Alberta. These were a pregnant mare, her yearling colt and a young stud. The colt was shot in the chest and ran up a hill for about 100 feet before collapsing. The stud had been shot in his stomach, and suffered a long agonizing death. His head was caught between two trees when he fell. The mare looked ready to foal within a day or two, and appeared to have gone into labour after she was shot, as her birthing sack was visible when she was found.
The RCMP and wildlife authorities are investigating the killings. There is the belief that these horses were shot from a nearby road with a high-powered rifle. The death of these three raises the total to 30 wild horses found violently shot to death in this area since 2002. How many others have been killed and not discovered or reported is anyones guess.
Back in the 1960s Sable Island became a federally protected reserve for the wild horses whereas, in Alberta, they are deemed feral and covered under the Stray Animals Act. Why the difference in treatment? In regards to the horses being labeled feral by the provincial and federal governments what studies have been done to prove that they are indeed feral (domestic escapees) and not wild.
Furthermore, there have been horse bones found in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan, which were deemed to be 800 years old or older. The most recent find in the Yukon shows a horse that is radiocarbon dated 26,280 210 years BP. Hence this makes the horse indisputably indigenous, to not only Alberta but North America as well. In spite of all these scientific findings the federal and provincial governments still classify these horses as non-native. This biased attitude is totally unscientific, illogical, and unacceptable.
WE the undersigned are writing this letter to express our grave concern and that of thousands of others over these senseless acts of violence, which lead to the unconscionable capture and deaths of these unique creatures. We're imploring the federal and provincial governments to do the right thing and reclassify the Alberta wild horses as a distinct species with their own special status, with protection comparable to that of other wildlife species, free of capture, harassment, abuse and death at the hands of man. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
