By Matthew Holloway |
Wildlife ecologist and wild horse advocate Craig C. Downer will join a rally at the Arizona State Capitol next week as opponents of a planned reduction in the Salt River horse herd call for an independent scientific review before removals begin.
Friends of the Salt River Wild Horses announced that Downer will appear at the “Preserve the Herd, Follow the Science” rally on Wednesday, July 22, at 8 a.m. in front of the state Senate building. The group’s event page lists the rally for July 22 and 23.
Downer has conducted field investigations of the Salt River herd and its habitat, including studies in 2012 and 2015 involving interviews, ecological transects, and a literature review. In a 2019 letter published by High Country News, he argued that wild horses contribute to the ecosystem by transporting nutrients from the river into the surrounding Sonoran Desert.
The advocacy group said Downer is concerned that reducing the herd to approximately 125 horses could leave the population without sufficient genetic diversity to remain healthy and adaptable.
“Such an artificially low population will interfere with maintaining sufficient genetic diversity to adapt to the rigors of survival in the wild,” Downer said.
The state’s current management agreement sets a goal of reducing the herd from approximately 274 horses to 120 over five years. The Arizona Department of Agriculture said when it announced the contract that the gradual reduction was intended to balance limited resources within the horses’ range while maintaining the herd’s genetic integrity.
The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, which received the state contract, has said approximately 25 horses are scheduled for removal in September. The organization has expressed opposition to the reductions while stating that it will fulfill the terms of the agreement and relocate removed horses to protected sanctuaries.
The Agriculture Department previously said it did not independently mandate the 120-horse target. The department said the management group proposed that figure during the contracting process. State officials said sustainable management requires balancing the size and diversity of the herd with the amount of forage, water, and habitat available along the Salt River.
Downer and Friends of the Salt River Wild Horses are requesting an independent review by wildlife ecologists, equine geneticists, and other specialists before any horses are removed. The group is also asking state officials to release the genetic, forage, habitat, and population data used to support the planned reduction.
Arizona Department of Agriculture Deputy Director Sheldon Jones said the management plan requires adopted horses to be relocated to department-approved sanctuaries and expressly prohibits their sale, donation, trade, or slaughter.
Dr. E. Gus Cothran, an equine population geneticist and professor emeritus at Texas A&M University, released a statement warning that reducing the Salt River wild horse population to 120 could threaten the herd’s long-term survival.
“At the most basic level, 150 to 200 animals is a minimum number,” Cothran said. “This is the number that, if everything goes right and only population genetics is involved, should maintain genetic health for 200 years or so.”
The rally follows an unsuccessful legislative effort to pause removals and require additional genetic testing.
Senate Bill 1199, as amended in the House, would have imposed a three-year moratorium on population-control removals while the Department of Agriculture contracted for an independent genetic assessment. The proposed testing would have examined effective population size, genetic diversity, and inbreeding within the herd.
The House approved the measure with bipartisan support on June 9, but the bill did not receive a final concurrence vote in the Senate before lawmakers adjourned.
Current Arizona law prohibits harassing, shooting, injuring, killing, or slaughtering horses belonging to the Salt River herd. It also bars people from interfering with, taking, chasing, capturing, or euthanizing the horses without written authorization from the Department of Agriculture or the Maricopa County sheriff.
Friends of the Salt River Wild Horses is inviting members of the public, elected officials, and horse advocates to attend the rally at 1700 W. Washington St. in Phoenix.
The organization said in a statement, “Before a single horse is removed, the State of Arizona should be able to demonstrate that its approach to herd reduction is based on peer-reviewed science and will preserve the Salt River wild horse herd for generations to come.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
