“...New Mexico Jumping Mouse...”
Seriously?
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 An excellent point, which won't be considered by bureaucrats.
"MAN IS THE RULER OF ALL"
AND Mother Nature doesn't know what she's doing.
Those “feral” horses have been there almost 500 years now.
Once again, liberals have decided to play God and decide which species are “allowed”.
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Feral horses are an invasive, non-indigenous species that destroys the carrying capacity of the forest, just like they do in the desert.
Since the 1971 wild horse and burro act, they have been allowed to procreate without any hindrance. The mountain lion and the bear are the only predators that can take them down.
Unlike deer and elk, they cannot be shot.
RATS, taking sides wi mice, against horses... that’s anti-NATURE!
Arriba! Arriba! Andale! Andale!
Knowing the area, here are a couple of contextual things. I’m still not sure how I feel, but I will form an opinion when I read the article closer.
1. Feral horses probably have not been in this area 500 years. It was settled much later and it is unlikely horses found their way up into this area or were released in this area prior to 1900.
2. The Southwest is in a prolonged drought and certainly 400 horses would put a burden on the ecosystem of the white mountains, especially if they were in the Alpine area. You have a large elk population here as well.
3. If they are tearing up the streams, the wild trout that live in them will suffer from that.
4. There is very little that can outcompete a horse in this area and so they’re population will continue to grow and push out other large species.
That said, I might be for reducing the population and holding it there. I’m just not sure at this time.
Mouse and Horse CoExist
A new bumper sticker for the Show Low - Pinetop micropolitan area
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…
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.
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?
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.
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.
“the Center for Biological Diversity”
You can’t be serious
“Center for Biological Diversity”
The problem is this group. They are a bunch of lawyers that make money by suing federal, state, county and local governments. They blackmail the orgs until they get a payoff. They don’t care a bit about the environment.
Are they planning on killing them or rounding them up and selling them like they have done in the past?
99% of all species on Earth have gone extinct. Maybe it’s the Jumping Mouse’s turn.