Turmoil at Currituck Wild Horse Advisory Board?

The group convenes on a quarterly basis, at least in theory, but the meetings for August and November were cancelled.

Minutes from the May meeting include a report by Meg Puckett of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, starting on page six of the pdf.

The on-range population was 106 as of March, with 19 animals in off-range holding.

Six foals were born in 2022, for a birth rate 5.7%.

The Equus Survival Trust classified the herd as Critical/Nearly Extinct in their 2022 Equine Conservation List, yet the advocates have been pummeling the mares with their favorite pesticide for years.

Curiously, only two have been darted this year.

“Due to significant loss over the last several years, an aging population, and questions about the long-term effects of PZP on the mares’ reproductive systems, healthy mares are not being darted in 2022.”

Moreover, “The small roster of mares consistently producing foals has not changed significantly in six years.”

The Assateague herd shows no growth six years after the safe, proven and reversible darting program was shut off.

Will history repeat in Currituck County?

The Currituck advocates have been invited to present research at a conference hosted by the Science and Conservation Center in 2023 (the Billings School of PZP Darting), according to the report.

Truth will likely be in short supply.

The minutes also include a marked-up version of the Wild Horse Management Agreement, starting on page 11, which protects and maintains a thriving ecological balance, and preserves the free-roaming nature and habits of the horses!

RELATED: Advocates, Not Climate Change, to Destroy Currituck Herd.