Posted on 03/18/2022 9:17:12 AM PDT by SJackson
ALPINE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) – The US Forest Services will be collecting ‘feral’ horses in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Alpine starting Mar. 21st. The removal of the horses comes after the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit group based out of Tucson, filed a lawsuit against the Forest Service for violating the Endangered Species Act. The group claims the Forest Service fails to control feral animals’ damage to the meadows and streams, which are the New Mexico Jumping Mouse’s federally protected habitat.
“Since the early 2000s, feral horses have been causing severe damage to the habitat of threatened and endangered species in an area including the Chiricahua leopard frog, narrow-headed garter snake, loach minnow, and Apache trout, and New Mexico meadow jumping mouse - which is nearing extinction. There are indirect effects on habitats of Three Forks spring snail and Mexican spotted owl. Collection of these feral horses is an ongoing process and necessary for responsible forest management for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests,” said Jeffrey Todd, the spokesperson for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest (ASNF).
The Center for Biological Diversity says the jumping mouse relies heavily on the tall grass and streams in the Alpine area, which they claim unauthorized livestock are damaging.
“What is really the damage the horses are doing? Because when you have elk and deer and cattle and they’re all kind of using the same area, you can’t really say it’s the horses doing the damage,” said Simone Netherlands, an Arizona wild horse advocate. Netherlands says she and other horse advocates were notified two days ago of the roundup and wish they had more notice. “We think it’s really sad we’re only getting seven days to try to save these horses. That’s not enough time for the public to give their input.”
(Excerpt) Read more at azfamily.com ...
Well apparently after the year 2000 they decided to ruin the landscape. Who makes this stuff up?
“or were released in this area prior to 1900”
Nah, the Apache were there for centuries and they had horses in the 19th century. Whether there were a bunch of them around Hannagan’s meadow or down the Blue is maybe less obvious, but they were definitely around.
Horses came up with the Spanish in the 1640’s, local tribal terrorists had their own within minutes of Spanish arrival.
More than likely the horses came off of the Fort Apache reservation
Funny how 15,000 Haitians stomping along the “fragile” habitat of so many endangered species along the Rio Grande is no problem, but when cattle use the river the radical environmentalists sue.
That is a good point.
“Feral horses are an invasive, non-indigenous species that destroys the carrying capacity of the forest, just like they do in the desert.”
Methinks you’re on the wrong site. The most destructive of the feral’s are the hogs.
They could reduce the horses numbers by putting snipers in helicopters and then fly around and shoot them, just like they did to “trespassing” cattle next door in the Gila a month or two ago…
Like I said, I would be for reducing and holding their population probably. Cattle and elk are harvested in a somewhat regular manner. There are very few animals in the forest that can kill a horse. There are no grizzlies in this area.
It is interesting to note that horses belong in the steppe, not the Ponderosa pine forests. They are built for grasslands but there is no check on them currently in the Alpine area.
Fair comment about withholding judgement. I’m ignorant about the subject entirely.
However, WTF is a “feral” horse? Is this what we used to call a “wild horse”? Feral sounds BAD like feral cats are bad. Is there a difference between a wild horse and a feral horse?
(I do know that horses were not native to North America 500 years ago. But neither was the “jumping mouse” as far as we know.)
So the small animals get to live and the large ones are rounded up and most likely shot. Why is the federal government beholden to these environmental groups. It’s the government that’s funding them.
Also an invasive species.
Wish they felt this way towards the illegals and the trash and damage they cause on our lands.
I could be wrong but the grazing animals except goats and a few others leave the roots
Elk graze
Deer do not although we’ve all seen them grazing they are not considered grazers but rather browsers
Horses obviously graze
Grazing is determined by digestive needs more than opportunity
Horse and elk ...preferable to be ground nibbling to start the process
Deer do not
Any cloven animal experts here besides Satanists?
Horses are very destructive. I can look at nearly any landscape/pasture and take a good guess at what is out there. My horse pastures are far more barren, generally speaking, than anything carrying cattle or sheep. The other issue is cattle are regulated via lease agreements and deer and elk via hunting permits. Horses are largely unregulated and are becoming over populated. This didn’t happen when people could freely remove horses from rangeland.
How many hundreds of years is required before an invasive species is considered native? Wild horses have been in the American West since the 1500’s Spanish occupation. I’ll take wild horses over an obscure desert rodent any day. The rodent has had half a millenia to adapt.
Yes. I think they are the same in common usage. Feral technically refers to animals that used to be domesticated and have become wild. I think wild technically refers to never having been domesticated.
The recent difference is people used to be able to freely remove horses from federal rangeland. That is no longer permissible. Other species are regulated; cattle by lease agreements, deer and elk by hunting permit. No such measure exists for horse. There are simply too many.
I think it is cool that, through the Endangered Species Act we have been able to do some neat things, like bring back the bald eagle and wolves. But it has been so abused for political causes over the years. I’m always skeptical of the motives. I have no opinion on the “feral horses” as I am ignorant on the topic.
That said, wolves are now a problem in some parts of the nation and there is a hunting season to control the populations.
That's what I would have presumed. But if a hose is born in the wild, never having been domesticated, is not that horse "wild"? I got suspicious because of the term "feral". It seems easier to support the culling of "feral" horses than "wild" horses. When careful terminology is created, it sounds political and my skepticism kicks in.
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