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Biologist’s comments to save White Mountain & Little Colorado wild horses from sterilization (Today is the last day YOU can comment)

Posted by on January 14, 2016

Jan 14, 2016

Biologist’s comments to save White Mountain & Little Colorado wild horses from sterilization (Today is the last day YOU can comment)

CarolWalkerWhiteMountain-001                                                                                                        White Mountain Wild Horses (Photo:  CAROL WALKER)

http://rtfitchauthor.com/2016/01/14/biologists-comments-to-save-white-mountain-little-colorado-wild-horses-today-is-the-last-day-you-can-comment/

by Robert C. Bauer, Biologist

Wild Horse and Burro Specialist
BLM Rock Springs Field Office
280 Highway 191 North
Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901
Fax: 307-352-0329
307-775-6014

Ms. Wertz and to those whom it may concern;

I am writing in reference to the proposed action of the Bureau of Land Management, concerning the wild horses of the White Mountain and Little Colorado HMA’s of Wyoming, and its accompanying research project. This, according to the scoping letter, involves the radio collaring of mares, placing of tail trackers on stallions, and subsequent spaying of mares. This will be coupled
with reducing numbers of wild horses, in both areas, down to the BLM’s appropriate management level, a number which combined, for both areas, comes to 1 horse for every 1838 acres of BLM controlled land. I would like the bureau to consider several scientific and ecologically sound principles directed against its proposed action.

1. It must be realized that nature through its own mechanisms is fully able to maintain natural ecological balance, without human intervention. It does this through physiological differences, found within each species inside any given ecosystem. Each of those differences, contribute as a vital factor in a broad ecological equation, allowing each species, including wild equine to fill a vital
niche in the balance of nature. It also accomplishes this through the numbers or density of any given species of animal or plant within that system, in conjunction with competitive species, and the carrying capacity of the land. Sterilization and or contraceptives have been proposed to check wild equine population growth disregarding the presence of its predators, natural environmental factors, and competitive grazers. Natural predation and environmental impacts are vital in
regulating the numbers of ungulates and ruminants alike in any given area. Density dependent inhibition, however, must not be ruled out and plays an important role as well. In this scenario, the numbers or density of wild equine, versus competing ruminants, as the pronghorn antelope, will each fluctuate in response to the other based upon the carrying capacity of the land, yet always in
perfect balance. In essence, the pronghorn and other ruminants, need the presence of wild horses and burros and vice versa. Each population will have the effect of keeping the numbers of another competing population at levels that are ideal for the carrying capacity of the land.

2. Within the physiological and behavioral makeup of the wild horses and burros, there also exist what could be called self-regulating mechanisms. These mechanisms serve to govern reproduction and subsequent population growth or the lack thereof. An increase in the gestation period of wild horses, (delayed implantation), and spontaneous abortion come into play during periods of environmental stress within a system, as well as selective breeding by a stallion within a band, if indeed the stallion breeds at all. In short, environmental stress has the overall effect of limiting reproduction. Added to this are annual mortality rates established in a NAS study which range between 14% to 50% in wild horses up to 1 year, and 5% to 25% for horses older than this.
These above mechanisms do, indeed maintain the proper density of wild horses in any given area, perfectly, in balance with competitive grazers and predators. It does this without sterilization, without the PZP contraceptive, and without roundups. It therefore establishes at any given time, nature’s own appropriate management levels, levels which nature adjusts continually, based on the
above biological factors. This alone puts to rest the idea that a research project is necessary, requiring the tracking, spaying, or removal of wild horses to examine behavior and band fidelity, not to mention the spatial ecology and demography of these areas or any areas. A sound and exhaustive understanding of herd dynamics and band behavior can be attained without manipulating the wild equine in any manner.

3. Also, what must be understood is that nature is dynamic, and not static. This infers that it continuously fluctuates and adjusts itself, through its own feedback loops, from the molecular, all the way up the scale of organisms. Because it is dynamic and not static means that its functions cannot be confined to finite thinking, and fixed statistics but must be allowed, through its own mechanisms to maintain itself, hands off, so to speak. In other words, nature cannot be limited at
any given time to a given number, or average of numbers, that mankind deems appropriate. An example of this is the Bureau of Land Management’s, “Appropriate Management Level”, of wild horses in their legally designated lands. Mankind’s sole responsibility has to be focused on keeping the restrictions off of nature, so that nature can be itself, and not an offspring of man’s seemingly
brilliance. The moment mankind seeks to alter nature according to a fixed number, or an average of numbers, is the moment that nature and balance itself begins to break down. At first it occurs little by little, yet as artificial alteration persists, the breakdowns become greater and greater. This has occurred in every branch of nature, where mankind has endeavored to manage natural
balance, assuming nature to be static and not dynamic.

4. Another issue that must be considered is that the numbers of the wild horses remaining in the wild are not even in the teens of thousands anymore, contrary to the BLM’s assertions to the contrary. This statement may seem bold yet is based upon BLM’s own statistics, factoring in reproduction, PZP, adjustment of sex ratios, and the thousands of wild horses and burros that have been continually removed. Factored in also, are mortality rates, already mentioned above, both first year and adult, that nature herself applies. These issues combined, have driven numbers in most areas out west down to levels where genetic viability has been compromised and far below total numbers that the BLM have stated as still existing in the wild. Also, with continued use of the PZP contraceptive, population growth will be driven down even further. Reproduction will continue to
decrease dramatically because of PZP, but mortality percentages will remain the same. In essence, with the use of the contraceptives, or sterilization methods, mortality will completely overwhelm reproduction, accelerating population decline in our wild equine.

5. The free roaming habits and social behavior of the wild horses and burros, allow them to harmoniously coexist with every competing ruminant. Their physiological makeup coupled with continual movements have a revitalizing effect on soil and vegetation. This in turn positively impacts other grazers, and subsequently predators as well, who prey upon them. The presence of
wild equine in a multitude of ecosystems has proven to result in a beneficial cascade effect, rejuvenating entire areas where they have been reintroduced, both in terms of flora and fauna. This has been documented in many geographical locations throughout the world. Noting these indisputable facts, the wild horses and burros can without question be considered a keystone species. Removing our native equine from their legally designated areas and or tampering with
their numbers has and will continue to have a reverse and detrimental effect on our western rangelands.

Conclusion. The answer to ecological balance, therefore, in our western ranges doesn’t lie in experimentation, sterilizations, contraceptives, adjustment of ratios, or the institution of removals.The answer lies in the termination of all roundups and a release of the wild horses and burros, in holding facilities, back into the areas from where they were taken. This must be followed by an elimination of the Wild Horse and Burro Program of the BLM, which has proven to be unscientific
in its pursuits, motivated by greed and prejudice, and has opposed every intent of the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. All that is necessary for a “Thriving Natural Ecological Balance”, is to keep the restrictions off of nature, and allow her to regulate herself untouched.
The wild horses and burros will continue as the poetically beautiful, yet vital components of ecological balance if, and only if, we allow nature alone, through its own dynamic methods to dictate the numbers in the wild that are to exist, at any given time.

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