Dec. 2021 - 43

Overpopulation of feral
horses could eventually lead
to high horse mortality rates
in areas where resources
can no longer support
these populations and
limit the growth of wildlife
populations.
off impacts through habitat restoration, and
some fencing projects in the Green River area
have made attempts to protect crucial water
sources.
" We're looking at more habitat and water
projects, especially to be proactive in places
where feral horse numbers are particularly
high, " Brimeyer said.
REDUCING NUMBERS
The biggest factor to the competition
between wildlife and feral horses is simple:
there are too many horses. As feral horse numbers
continue to increase, habitat degradation
and subsequent impacts are inevitable in Wyoming.
Overpopulation of feral horses could
eventually lead to high horse mortality rates
in areas where resources can no longer support
these populations and limit the growth of wildlife
populations. Without a significant increase
in the rate of removal of feral horses, their
growth and population expansion is inevitable.
Feral horses can live up to 30 years.
Unmanaged populations can double in size
every four to five years due to a lack of natural
predators and a rapid growth rate. In
Wyoming, horses have expanded outside of
established herd management area boundaries,
creating conflicts with other landowners,
including conflicts on privately-owned lands.
This ignores the provisions of the Horses and
Burros Act that requires maintaining horses on
BLM-administered land, within established
herd management areas and removal of feral
horses from privately owned land. Feral horse
populations and conflicts on private lands
continue to be a major problem in Wyoming.
According to the Horses and Burros Act,
Hoofprints show that feral horses and wildlife overlap and how competition for the scarce desert resources persist.
(Photo by Chris Martin/WGFD)
horses in excess of the established appropriate
management level must be removed from the
land. Several horse management practices have
been used since Congress passed the act. Management
practices outlined in the act include:
population counts and habitat assessments to
determine where overpopulation exists; roundups
to remove animals; use of contraception
to reduce productivity; adoption of horses to
Wyoming Wildlife | 43

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