Save Clouds band of Mustangs

[Sunny Chook Farm]

They're showing it again here too.. just came on. It's a great documentary..

 

[Rabid Vulture]

Ok, lets say he is related to the Spanish Barb. I have never watched the documentary. He doesn't seem to be related that much due to the government wanting their removal. I don't know, it just seems that if he was related to the Spanish Barb there would be more of a fuss about it and it might be on the news.

[shrugs]

 

[risurocket]

Said the petition was closed. Hope they got enough signatures...

 

[Rabid Vulture]

I just Googled "Cloud" and found the actual reserve that he lives on.

http://www.mustangs4us.com/montana.htm

They don't say anything about the herd being removed or their place being shut down? Just seems kind of odd to me. I also didn't find any articles about Cloud being in danger, I would think that if he was being removed their would be stories everywhere.

 

[Miltonchix]

Here comes the naysayer.
Feral horses, which these are, are responsible for destroying more wildlife habitat than the people in these areas. The deer population in parts of Nevada for example has almost been wiped out due to overgrazing of already meager resources.
Sorry, don't mean to be "mean spirited" about it, but I'm for reducing the numbers of FERAL horses on public lands. If ya'll want to go catch one and take it home, good luck to you.

 

[Rabid Vulture]

Sorry, but I agree with Miltonchix.

 

[michickenwrangler]

I recall a letter that someone wrote in to "Western Horseman" some years back about how he DIDN'T support the mustangs in N. America because they are NOT indigenous species on this continent and they DO distrupt the ecosystem. I'll try to see if I can dig it up.

 

[DuckyBoys]

I for one love the wild mustangs, however, you have to be practical. Sometimes stuff needs be done to save the system as a whole.

I've seen the Cloud movie, its a good one for sure, but you have to realize that you cannot control the movement of these horses, ranchers are trying to support cattle on the land, and then to have to support all the deer, antelope, and wild horses...well you can understand how they wouldn't be too cool about the idea.

But at any rate - I hope eveything turns out for the best either way.

BTW - they (BLM) adopt them out all the time - if you want one its not that hard to get one.

 

[Florida chick]

Quote:
I would LOVE to know where you get your information from, as you are sadly misled. Its the wealthy cattleman grazing beef herds on public land that cause the majority of issues. The Wild MUstangs which are a HUGE part of American history, are less than 1 HORSE per 1000+ ACRES of land! SO please there are NOT an overabundance of horses. They are however poorly managed.
http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Wild_Horses.2.html

 

[michickenwrangler]

I'm not a rancher, nor am I defending them, but when N. America was "settled" during the last Ice Age, there were horses here similar to the Przewalski Horse of Mongolia. There were also several breeds of mammoths and rhinos during the Ice Age. All of these species went extinct for a variety of reasons. Horses to the American Indians are a VERY recent addition to their way of life.

As much as I love horses, feral horses are again NOT part of the indigenous ecosystem. Imagine the havoc that would be wrought if African elephants were introduced in Texas by the Spanish in the 1500s. The argument would be theoretically the same, especially since elephants DID live in N. America in the not too distant geological past.

Token herds of mustangs to me are fine, but need to be managed. Look at the problems of cane toads and rabbits in Australia. Plantain, found in just about every backyard here, is indigenous to Eurasia and chokes out native plants.

Read "Ecological Imperialism" by Alfred Crosby for further info.