Why wild horses are in danger

Source:water and food for these beautiful animals are
The ground begins to faintly rumble under yourbeing more and more threatened every year.
feet as your stand on a hillside admiring theHousing developments, recreational facilities, and
beautiful mountain scenery. You wonder were thisshopping malls are being erected where these
powerful feeling could possibly be coming from.horses once grazed and houses surround lakes
Faster than you can associate what the sourceand line riverbeds blocking these horses from
may be, the rumble gets closer and louder andclean water sources and pastures. Migratory paths
even more vibrant through the masses of earthto plentiful water sources used in the past are
and wild grass you stand on.disrupted by fences, houses and highways. Due to
From over the hill stampedes a great herd of wildthese issues, hundreds of these horses are
horses in a flash of wild colors. A hundred feetendangered, pushed to and killed on the North
pounding in close unison, source this rumble asAmerican highways every year.
these majestic, historical animals prance andLong ago, when horses ran wild all over a world
pound by.without fences; grasses, hays and alfalfa grew
Sadly, there are several issues plaguing therampantly for all animals to gorge on. Travelling
survival of this type of horse. Primarily, culling ofgenerally in packs, they require a large amount of
large groups of these horses is the main sourcefood at meal times and a generous supply of
of their demise, followed by habitat destruction,water. Nowadays, food and water is available for
horses being stolen and sold for profit and anthese animals in the spring and fall months
ever demanding need by these animals for foodprovided there is rain. However, winter and
and water.summer is a different scenario. Lakes and creeks
While researching for this article, a new releasefreeze up; the few grazing pastures available to
from Horsetalk.co.nz posted in early Octoberthese horses cover up with a deep layer of snow
stuck out from the numerous other searchleaving these animals to scrounge for whatever
results. This story states that:they can to survive over the long winter.
"...Hundreds of wild horses in Western AustralianIn Canada, non-profit groups and
with strong Arabian bloodlines may be lost in a cull,organizations have been stepping in to attempt
a campaigner for the animals fears... There areto assist the horse in southern British Columbia
more than 5000 wild horses living over the areathrough the winter by assessing the plausibility of
from Bililuna to Balgo, mostly around Lakesupplying hay and water over the tough months
Gregory, a 100km-wide freshwater lake formedof the year. However, this is only a small step. A
from the Sturt Creek, which has its origins in thesolution does need to be found to protect the
Northern Territory..."true wild horse and the wild mustang that were
Source: Horsetalk.co.nz: Hundreds of part-Arabonce known to roam the open lands and fields of
wild horses under cull threat, s/2009/10/073.shtmlour planet. In hopes of saving this beautiful sight
Unfortunately, New Zealand is not the only placeof the wild, wild horse sanctuaries can be found all
this happens.over the globe that work extremely hard to save
Like many other species, the main danger forthese great animals.
these animals has quite a bit to do with theSimply, humanity is closing in on these animals, as
encroachment of humans on their natural habitatit is for all wild animals. We are the main reason
of grasslands and large expanses of land. Grazingwhy wild horses are in danger.
lands, shelters and safe migratory routes to