One hasto wonder how they came up with that 27000 number.
Total guess, but the same way they come up with cattle carry capacity I would imagine. Probably an adjustment for how much they eat vs cattle
Doubtful, but if so, their model needs adjustment. How long have they been over "carrying capacity"?
There are other uses of the term, "social carrying capacity" may be a more appropriate term here.
Basically from the start, that's why it's such a problem, no good way to manage populations and ongoing resource damage in the meantime. Estimating forage availability and capacity can be challenging but not that hard and easy to tell when it's being overused.
Excellent points gentlemen !!
Robert,
this is an issue that different people and groups of people will have strong opinions about, including me. Several here will disagree with me and that is o.k., as may times in life I have learned from listening to opposing opinions, as long as the presenter of those opinions, does so politely. Sometimes 'we" humans need to just admit that we are only going to be able to agree that we disagree on a subject and leave it at that. This might be a good time to also say that I dont appreciate nasty pm, s and have discontinued reading pm,s from some posters. with all that said---
At this point and this is just one old woman opinion, they need to be rounded up and thinned out. not wiped out, but thinned out. Let as many as possible be "adopted", although and unfortunately more adoptions end up bad than they do good, but regardless, let that happen first and then a large majority of the older ones must be put down. We ( taxpayers ) are spending upward of 100 million a year to manage these herds and doing a poor job of it, again IMHO
What to do ? I can only tell you what we have done in Arizona and again IMHO, it is working and working without costing the American taxpayer a dime. The Salt River herds may not be native, but they have been there before we became a State, way before actually. As near as we can calculate around 1750-1800, which is even before my time
Rather than write it all down here, if any one is interested in what we do to manage that wild horse herd, look for the Salt River Wlld Horse Assoc and read about it on their web page, However, I will tell you this, first and foremost it is totally funded by private citizens, zero money from the Feds or State and yes the size of the herd is "maintained"
I love horses and have raised them, ridden them, used them ( ranch, hunting, rodeo ) and bred them. But I have also raised cattle, hogs, sheep, chickens, and turkeys---AND, ate them as well as used their by products. To me horse meat tastes very similar to both beef and venison, depending on the horse being eaten. Several countries around the world eat horse meat and serve it in restaurants.
I mention all the above to say, if it was up to me, I would round them up, separate all the older ones from the younger ones, let people adopt as many as they want, and slaughter the older ones, just like we do cattle, sheep, hogs, chickens--and if some are to "civilized" to eat horse meat, I bet there are some other families out there who are down on their luck that would enjoy having meat on the dinner table, whether it is--deer, cow, elk, sheep, moose, hog, caribou, or horse.
We should attempt to find sponsors for the young horses released back into the wild--i.e -- The Salt River Wild Horse herd---- granted the Govt may need to help these groups of horses and people financially from time to time, but the financial help needed would be a lot less than they are paying now. And obviously, the reduced wild horse herds would be eating less grass, therefore increasing the foliage for other wildlife .
I love the horse, I love riding them, I love seeing them in the wild, but the herds must be thinned and then controlled and if possible without taxpayers dollars.
Please remember this is just one old woman's opinion and with it and a quarter you will be able to buy absolutely nothing. I use to say my opinion and a nickel would buy you absolutely nothing, but you know inflation and all that
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