Isn’t it rich that the BLM and their wild horse hating counterparts are always crowing how Mustangs must be removed because they are destroying the ecosystem. We know that this is a lie and a manipulation on their part to continue their seek and destroy mission.
We have reported numerous examples of how countries around the world are returning wild horses to help manage ecosystems and restore diversity — that includes encouraging the survival of other wild species. Privately managed cattle on public lands do not qualify as wildlife or threatened. They have never suffered at the hands of the Mustangs. The reverse certainly cannot be said.
Wild horse herds on public lands in the US continue to be decimated and eliminated at the hands of the federal government mainly at the incitement of cattle ranchers or other special interest commercial groups, such as miners and frackers for example.
Here’s a recent story from Spain of wild horses being re-introduced to restore ecosystems. — Ed.
by LAUREN FRAYER
For the first time in two millennia, wild horses are once again galloping free in western Spain, countering what happened when the Romans moved there and domesticated the animals.
Four-dozen Retuerta horses have been released into the wild in western Spain over the past two years as part of a project by , a nonprofit group that seeks to turn the loss of rural farming life into an opportunity to boost biodiversity.
The endangered Retuerta is one of the oldest horse breeds in Europe and most closely resembles the race of ancient Iberian horses that populated this region before being domesticated.
Retuertas are nearly extinct, with only about 150 remaining in Doñana National Park in southern Spain. Living in a single cluster there, the entire species could be wiped out by any potential disease or calamity.
So wildlife experts arranged to have two batches of two-dozen Retuertas each brought to the Campanarios de Azaba Biological Reserve, an unfenced area of western Spain that’s believed to have once been native territory for the horses.
“Our idea is to just let them manage the ecosystem themselves. It’s a wild horse. So it’s in its DNA to roam free in the wild,” said Diego Benito, a forestry engineer who lives and works at the reserve.
“Of course it is endangered — close to extinction — and we’re conservationists,” he added. “So if one of them gets ill, we could call the veterinarian. That’s not the idea in the future — we’ll treat them like wild horses. But for now they could use a little care.”
LISTEN TO THE STORY (4 min, 43 sec)