Center, Internet, Wildlife Damage Management
Human–Wildlife Interactions
The Wildlife Society Responds to CNN Report on Feral Horses
Date of this Version
Fall 2011
Document Type
Article
Citation
Human–Wildlife Interactions (Fall 2011) 5(2): article 2
doi: 10.26077/0qg5-d430
Special topic: Bird strikes
Abstract
The Wildlife Society (TWS) has been working for some time now to educate policy makers and the public concerning the effects of feral horses (often mistakenly called wild horses) on our native ecosystems. In the past year, TWS prepared a fact sheet discussing common misconceptions about feral horses, such as, that they are native to the United States, and developed an official position statement on the topic (TWS 2011). However, the media usually portray feral horses as romantic, freeroaming icons of the American West.
. . .
Management of the West’s feral horses is complicated and controversial; it necessitates consideration of the full spectrum of issues. For any solution to be viable, the input of an informed public is essential. CNN and other media sources play a key informative role for the public, but it is only through accurate and complete coverage of issues, such as feral horse management, that the public and wildlife are best served.