They've established free-roaming populations throughout the foothills and grasslands of Alberta's eastern slopes, with herds of wild horses almost guaranteed to be seen off Highway 1 west of Calgary year-round.

But the abundance of what the Alberta government calls "feral horses" has reached "unacceptable" levels, according to the province's horse management strategy.

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[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Horses are part of humanity's footprint. They're invasive to North America, and degrade native ecosystems.

[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 14 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Funny enough, they are not. They are from North America originally, but went extinct about 12,000 years ago when humans started hunting them. They only came to Europe about one to three million years ago.

https://www.uaf.edu/news/study-sheds-light-on-ancient-horse-migrations-climate-change.php

https://awionline.org/content/wild-horses-native-north-american-wildlife

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago (2 children)

That's really interesting. Thanks for those links.

IMO the question is whether current ecosystems are degraded by the reintroduction of horses. It sounds like they have a negative impact on existing ungulates and (maybe?) soils.

I don't know enough to say if an ecosystem that has existed for 12,000 years without horses that has horses reintroduction, is being degraded or returned to its previous state.

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 11 points 5 days ago

As an aside the main reason Marlaina is pushing for a large cull (based on quack numbers) is because the cattle ranchers push for it every year.

Removing the horses won't help the environment because they'll just be replaced by herds of cattle.

[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Same for me, I just wanted to brag with my equine knowledge 💖

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 days ago

❤️‍🔥🐎💖🐴🫀🐎❤️‍🔥

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

And what is your point. These horses are jot native here as they are alive. And the"horses" that lived here where not the ones that are here now.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Uh...the humans who live here are not the ones from 100 years ago.

[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

My point is, what sbv wrote wasn't true, so I added additional info. How dare I, right? Knowledge is the enemy 😭

Critics of the idea that the North American wild horse is a native animal, using only selected paleontological data, assert that the species, E. caballus (or the caballoid horse), which was introduced in 1519, was a different species from that which disappeared between 13,000–11,000 years before. Herein lies the crux of the debate. However, neither paleontological opinion nor modern molecular genetics support the contention that the modern horse in North America is non-native.