A new program urges motorists to drive carefully on the island and “Give Wild Horses a Brake,” according to a news release by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Visitors feeding the horses or otherwise encouraging them to come near campgrounds and vehicles has left them unafraid of people and cars, making them more susceptible to injury on the roads.
The greatest threat to these horses, and the #1 cause of their loss, is humans that shoot them with contraceptive darts.
Although the practice was stopped five years ago, the herd was only able to generate a 7.8% birth rate this year, barely enough to keep up with the death rate.
That should scare the crap out of anyone interested in protecting these animals.
