Wild Horses to Receive Second Contraceptive Shot
Wild horses at Theodore Roosevelt National Park are set to receive a second contraceptive shot in an effort to manage herd sizes and prevent future roundups. This initiative is part of an experimental program conducted by Colorado State University, aiming to assess the effectiveness of booster shots in reducing pregnancy rates among wild horses.
Those darn wild girls are so healthy, they keep getting pregnant, even with a contraceptive vaccine. So, they’re going to get another one next week, to see if a booster shot does the trick.
This will be the second time Theodore Roosevelt National Park will participate in an experimental program to see if vaccinating against pregnancy can keep its wild horse herd numbers low enough to prevent roundups like the one scheduled next week.
Park biologist Blake McCann said the initial vaccine was slightly successful, but the effects wore off within the next breeding cycle or two.
The study is being conducted by Colorado State University.
McCann said in the 2009 roundup, the vaccine was administered to 29 brood mares, whose pregnancy rate dropped from an average of 70 percent to 48 percent the following year and bounced back to the average the third year.
“Nobody knew how this would work,” he said. He said it’s thought that wild horses have a more robust immune system so the vaccine isn’t as effective as it is with domestic horses.
“We’re going to repeat this year and see if the booster makes it more effective,” he said.
He said the same 29 mares will again be vaccinated during next week’s roundup and another 10 will be added to the program.
“We really hope we get a better response for management and not have to sell these horses,” he said.
The last park wild horse sale in 2009 brought in nearly $18,000 for 78 horses. That far exceeded previous sales when horses sold for $25 to $100.
Larry Schnell, who conducted the 2009 sale, said only a very few of the oldest horses were sold for slaughter.
Originally Posted By The Bismarck Tribune