Stop The Oppression Permanently
Wild Horse Herd Killing in Alberta
Alberta Government Decimates Wild Horse Herds.
The Alberta, Canada government has authorized the slaughter of wild horse herds.
1. Action
You can create your own email or you can copy/modify the one in the statement section. Remember what is required is quantity. Even if your email is not read, its reception will not go unnoticed.
Send email to Ministry of Sustainable Resource Department, Frank Oberle, Carol Chawrun and Dave Ealey by clicking here.
2. Statement
Below are some sample letters you can copy/paste into your email. You are free to modify these as you wish to or create your own.
2.1 Sample Letter One
It is disgraceful that the Alberta government has succumbed to rancher greed and is killing off wild horses. Such an attitude shows not only lack of foresight, but also reflects the untrustworthiness of a government towards the population it is supposed to serve.
2.2 Sample Letter Two
Dear Minister Oberle:
It has come to my attention that the Government of Alberta has
been complicit in conducting roundups of wild horses roaming in
the Sundre/Olds area. I also understand that their demise (a
trip to the slaughterhouse) is defended on the grounds that
they are descendents of domestic horses who have escaped
captivity or have been turned loose, and that these horses are
considered by the government to be "feral" rather than
"wild".
Mention has even been made of increasing horse populations
impacting on resources. Please clarify what studies have been
conducted on the populations of free-roaming horses, as it is
my understanding from local residents that the herds have
diminished substantially, yet the government claims that there
are over 1000 horses populating the area.
I would like to inquire whether the government has given any
thought to the fact that many of these strikingly-beautiful
horses may be descendents of Spanish Mustangs, introduced to
the Americas centuries ago. To totally eradicate them would be
a travesty. It is interesting that preliminary DNA testing on
some wild horses from the area indicates that they may have
evolved into their own distinct breed. In truth, no matter what
their roots, these horses are no longer "domestic" and they do
not deserve to be caught and transported to slaughter where
their end to life is anything but "humane euthanasia". Equine
slaughter in itself is brutal, as exposed by undercover
investigations in Canada as recently as 2011.
I am also aware of the fact that the Government of Alberta is
so anxious to get rid of these animals that license
applications are being waived and consequently anyone can
capture the horses.
With regard to "resources", perhaps the most important resource
to the government is the huge expanse of grassland that these
horses call home. Since the livestock industry (ranching) is
closely aligned with government, I would like to suggest that
perhaps SRD is pandering to greedy ranchers who cannot share
the land with wild horses, animals whose birthright should
include access to the land and the right to roam freely there.
They do not "compete" with wildlife for a place to stay - they,
like all wild animals, belong there. I call upon the government
of Alberta to put a stop to these roundups immediately and
institute a protective program for the horses that would
include allowing them to live with their herds - as they have
for centuries.
Yours truly
2.3 Sample Letter Three
Please don't kill the horses! They belong on the land. People have already taken much of their habitat. Destroying the wilderness for profit will only leave less for future generations.
2.4 Sample Letter Four
Dear Minister Oberle:
I find it appalling that you can sanction the mindless rounding
up and killing of these beautiful creatures - all in the name
of greed. Preliminary DNA testing on some wild horses from the
area show that these horses may be considered their own breed.
Thus any argument that they originated from domestic horses and
thus can be considered domestic is unfounded. These horses have
a birthright to roam freely in their home. They do not deserve
to be rounded up and slaughtered! The fact that you have waived
licence applications in your anxiety to be rid of these horses
is simply dictatorial - you bypass your own rules - rules that
are in place to monitor and have some controls on the potential
for abuse of vulnerable beings.
I will spread the word of your untrustworthiness and betrayal
of these innocent animals.
Yours truly
2.4 Sample Letter Five
Dear Minister Oberle:
As an Albertan, I feel betrayed that you sanctioned the
mindless rounding up and killing of our wild horses roaming in
the Sundre/Olds area. This despite much opposition. I am very
disappointed that my government has allowed industry, in this
case the massive ranching and livestock industry, to influence
its decisions to destroy a rare and beautiful piece of my
Alberta heritage. I find that very irresponsible. SRD
hascondemned these magnificent horses to an inhumane and
unnatural death by slaughter at the hands of anyone, licensed
or not, who can capture and do what they like to these animals.
On what scientific study did you base your decision to kill
these animals, some of who may be descendants of Spanish
Mustangs? Those horses that may have been domestic at one time,
no longer are. All these wild horses deserve our protection to
live freely with their herds, as they have for centuries. Will
you set aside a protected area for them? Wilderness habitat and
our grasslands are dwindling not because of the horses and
other wildlife, but because of human encroachment and activity.
Will SRD continue to succumb to industry greed until we have no
wilderness left for the wild horses and other animals who were
here long before us? If SRD is serious about protecting our
grasslands, then human activity needs to be better
managed.
Will you stop this roundup immediately and provide a protected
area for Alberta's wild horses? Other governments have acted
with vision, compassion and the political will to recognize
these beautiful creatures as a valuable treasure worth
protecting. I ask the same of my government.
I look forward to and would appreciate your thoughtful answer
to each of my questions above. Thank you.
Yours truly
3. Evidence
Various items related to the campaign at hand appear below. Please inform yourselves and others about the matter.
3.1 Details from Canadian Horse Defence Coalition
Alberta Government Decimates Wild Horse Herds
http://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/
Posted on March 13, 2012 by Canadian Horse Defence
Coalition.
In a ruthless ploy to protect grasslands from wild horse herds
that have roamed Alberta for centuries, the province s
Sustainable Resource Department (SRD) has put a large dent in
the population of horses living in the Sundre/Olds area of
Alberta. According to Bob Henderson of WHOAS (The Wild Horses
of Alberta Society: http://northernhorse.com/wildhorses/), Over
130 horses that we know about were taken. Evidently the
government is so anxious to rid the province of these majestic
wild horses that even its customary capture application and
license process has been waived this year. The horses have been
rounded up and many have gone to slaughter.
Why would the SRD think to rob wild horses of their land and
their lives? The usual answer in similar situations has been
greed, and once again, the burgeoning needs and wants of
ranchers seem to have been given the upper hand. Even with
miles and miles of grassland rolling on farther than the eye
can see, the wild Alberta horses, whose birthright would surely
include the capacity to remain on those lands, have become the
target of greed and corruption amongst ranchers and
short-sighted government officials who are paranoid that the
horses will somehow impact upon the livestock industry.
Only small herds of these iconic, breathtakingly beautiful
horses now remain. If the ranchers and the government have
their way, the wild horse herds of Alberta will become extinct.
It is believed that these horses could be descendents of
Spanish Mustangs, introduced from Spain during the early
conquest of the Americas, but that doesn t seem to matter to
those whose world revolves around profits.
The Alberta government needs to hear from citizens everywhere
who are opposed to the mindless roundups and killing of these
horses. Please consider contacting the following officials with
your concerns:
Hon. Frank Oberle Minister of Sustainable Resource Development
Legislature Office 420 Legislature Building 10800 97 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB Canada T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 415-4815 Fax: (780) 415-4818 E-mail:
SRD.minister@gov.ab.ca
Premier Alison Redford 307- Legislature Bldg 10800-97 Ave
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B1 Ph.: (780)-427-2251 E-mail contact
form:
http://alberta.ca/premier_contact.cfm
3.2 Excuses from the Albert Government via form letter
From: SRD Minister (SRD.Minister@gov.ab.ca) Date: Thu, 15
Mar 2012 15:13:13 +0000 Subject: RE: Alberta's wild
horses
Thank you for your email of March 15, 2012 regarding free
roaming horses in Alberta. I am pleased to provide the
following information.
Horses indigenous to North America became extinct several
thousand years ago. Although some people refer to free-roaming
horses on today's landscape as "wild," these animals are
descendants of domestic horses that have escaped captivity or
have been turned loose and allowed to run freely. As soon as
horses escape captivity - whether from early European explorers
or by stock ranchers - they are defined as an introduced or
exotic species.
The Government of Alberta considers free-roaming horses to be
feral and protects them through the Stray Animals Act and its
associated Horse Capture Regulation. Under this legislation,
Sustainable Resource Development designates areas of Crown land
where licences may be obtained to capture feral horses.
People who apply for horse capture licences are screened to
ensure they use safe and humane methods of capture, have a
satisfactory level of experience in capturing horses and have
adequate facilities to care for captured horses. Sustainable
Resource Development staff monitor horse-capture operations to
ensure horses are treated humanely and if any branded horses
are captured, the department notifies Alberta's Livestock
Identification Services. On average, 30 horses have been
captured in each of the past few years.
Alberta's increasing feral horse populations are resulting in a
number of impacts on resources. In 2010, more than 1,000 feral
horses were identified in the south of Alberta's Eastern Slopes
- up significantly from the 650 in 2009. This growing number of
horses compete with native wildlife for habitat and can damage
rangeland and reduce the forage available for livestock. They
can also impede forest regeneration by damaging young trees.
Feral horses pose a public safety risk on Alberta's highways,
which was especially apparent last winter when heavy snow
conditions drove the animals east toward public roadways.
Be assured it is our government's intent to help ensure the
survival of these animals while balancing their impact on the
environment.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this information about
feral horses.
Sincerely, Frank Oberle Minister