Conservation of Alberta's Wild Horses
Greetings!
Welcome and thank you for your interest in the conservation and protection of Alberta’s Wild Horse population. This is a dire time for these majestic animals, as their numbers continue to dwindle. Twenty years ago, the estimated population of wild horses in Alberta was over 1,000 individuals, while recent estimates indicate a drastically reduced population of 200-300 animals. We believe current legislation is inadequate to properly protect these animals, and the attitude of the current government is one of apathy.
The lumber, oil & gas, and cattle industries view them as nothing more than pests and a nuisance. Even government wildlife officers view their presence as intrusive towards the local populations of deer, elk, and moose. This is simply not true. Moose rarely exploit the same food sources as these horses, while deer and elk have been observed amongst wild horse herds, using them as a deterrent against predators such as wolves.
If you would like to read the Government of Alberta's documentation regarding wild horses, and their Horse Capture Program, please visit the Sustainable Resource Development website.
The time to act is now. Using funds raised through various events we will be hosting at the Wild Wild West Event Centre, we endeavour to organize and conduct various research projects in the future. The aim of this research will be to more accurately establish the population size, range, effect on local ecology, and possible relocation of these highly endangered animals. You can help by donating your time to aid us at any of our events, or with literature searches, fieldwork, report writing, public education, and government correspondence. You can find our .pdf format membership form here. Follow this link if you do not have Adobe Acrobat.
