Health Canada has given the green light for a birth control vaccine to be trialed on free-roaming horses in Alberta. The Alberta government deems it necessary to manage horse populations in certain areas of the province to prevent them from negatively impacting grazing lands for cattle and wildlife. Contraception is among the strategies outlined in the province’s feral horse management framework, along with removal from the wild and adoption.
In late August, the Alberta government obtained a “research authorization” to utilize the SpayVac-Equid contraception vaccine on feral horses, as confirmed by a Health Canada spokesperson. However, this authorization is solely for research purposes and not for general use, according to the federal agency.
The province’s latest feral horse survey identified 2,072 wild horses in Alberta’s six equine management zones this year, marking the highest count ever recorded. The populations in certain zones were flagged as “not ecologically sustainable” by the survey.
In a bid to control wild horse populations, the province, in collaboration with the Wild Horses of Alberta Society, launched a contraception pilot project in 2014. The project involved administering a vaccine known as ZonaStat-H to wild horses through dart shots. The initiative revealed challenges such as high costs and rough terrains hindering effective population control.
The Wild Horses of Alberta Society president, Jack Nichol, disclosed a new plan to capture horses, hand-administer the vaccine, and release them back into the wild, with marked vaccinated horses for future identification. This method boasts a success rate of 85 to 95 percent, prevents conception for several years, and maintains herd dynamics without the need for booster shots. Nichol highlighted the upcoming contraception project’s fall launch as part of a comprehensive population control strategy.
The Wild Horses of Alberta Society, in operation since 2002, focuses on rescuing, rehabilitating, and facilitating the adoption of horses, including those straying onto private properties.