“In the Alberta Rockies, advocates say feral herds are being wrongfully blamed for ecological damage that the province wants to contain, if necessary, with population control.” – The Globe and Mail.

Glover, sitting on a log in the very same forest this summer, says he remembers the protest as a “great resistance” that helped stop the killing of dozens of feral horses near Sundre, Alta. But the resistance is far from over, he stressed, as the provincial government continues to threaten the horses’ very existence.

The carefree creatures are difficult to spot as they roam the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. But Glover, having been around them for years, knows where to look. He calls the horses by name – Stirling, Maverick, One-Eyed Jack – as they graze in fields, gallop through the trees or play fight.

The highest concentration of wild horses in Alberta is in the Sundre area. The province estimated there were 969 horses in 2023, which is just shy of the 1,000-population threshold that triggers immediate action to reduce the herd size through adoption, contraception and, in extreme cases, killing. HAWS, which conducts its own aerial surveys, believes the government’s count is inflated.

Pam Davidson, press secretary for Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen, said there is no cull currently “planned or anticipated” in Alberta. She said the government is adhering to guidelines in its Feral Horse Management Framework, which was developed by a committee that includes wilderness experts, Indigenous groups and academics. “Future committee meetings will include discussions on non-lethal methods of managing feral horses, including adoption and contraception,” Ms. Davidson said.