Provincial authorities spurn horse conservation

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Wild horses in central British Columbia will be cautiously observed and protected by a First Nations ranger hired by the Xeni Gwet'in First Nation government.

Chief Roger William of the Xeni Gwet'in said that ranger patrolling of the ?Elegesi Qiyus Wild Horse Preserve, which the Xeni Gwet'in founded, will start in May.

"He'll be patrolling the whole area and just making sure that there's no misuse of our wild horses," said the chief. The ranger will ride horseback or drive a vehicle. "He could be camping here and there throughout the year."

The wild horse preserve is located in the Chilcotin area in the centre of the province. The Brittany Triangle, which is the middle portion of the preserve covering about 155,000 hectares, provides home to between 150 and 200 horses. The total declared preserve is about three times larger, but it is not yet known how many horses live outside the triangle.

Wild horses have no legal protection in British Columbia.

The Xeni Gwet'in First Nation is now in court claiming title and rights to the Brittany Triangle to acquire the right to protect these horses.

The Xeni Gwet'in government has been working on the First Nations ranger program in partnership with an environmental group called Friends of the Nemaiah Valley (FONV). "We approached the Vancouver Foundation for a grant to help us to fund a Xeni Gwet'in ranger to patrol the wild horse preserve, to protect the horses from human interference, to keep track of their numbers, and to collect information on their habits and behavior," said David Williams, FONV chairman and executive director.

The goal was to raise $18,000 for the first year. The foundation granted $10,000. This is a one-time grant, but the group hopes to raise money to keep the program running. "We have received a donation from a private individual who wishes to remain anonymous. We also received many smaller donations from our supporters and from private individuals and horse clubs who want to see the preserve become a reality and protect the horses," Williams said.

The Xeni Gwet'in government issued the declaration of the preserve last June as a result of a preliminary wildlife assessment completed in March 2002 by biologist Wayne McCrory.

In his conservation assessment, McCrory reported that observed wild horses had some of the inherited physical characteristics of the original colonizers' Spanish-bred horses: black and dark brown coloring, and long manes and tails.

"We have done some preliminary DNA testing on a very small sample," said Williams. "Initial results are promising that there may be a genetic linkage to the colonial Spanish horse, or what has come to be known as the mustang. This is of great interest, because we know that these now rare horses are descended from the original Spanish horses brought to the Americas by Columbus and Cortes 500 years ago."

The Xeni Gwet'in see these horses as essential to their way of life and have used them for riding and packing for many years.

"Wild horses are important to us. In our area, you know, these horses are very strong. A lot of us can't afford to buy a horse in the stockyards and in town. . . . Having our own horses is a lot easier-they're stronger, and they can handle the winters. They're used for many things. A lot of them are turned into saddle horses and a lot of them are sold from our people to make ends meet," said Chief William.

The FOVN chair said the Xeni Gwet'in "value these horses because they are far smarter than a ranch or farm-raised horse and they are much tougher because they have been genetically selected for survival in the wild for many generations." They also survived government slaughter programs between 1924 and 1946.

Williams said, "We have talked to the provincial government, and their policy is that these are escaped or feral horses, are a nuisance and should probably be rounded up or shot.

"The trouble is the Ministry of Forests wants to clear-cut the lands where tey live in the Brittany Triangle and that will be the end of the natural wildlife balance that is there now and the way of life of the Xeni Gwet'in as well."

The B.C. Ministry of Forests said there is no logging going on in the Brittany Triangle.

Helen Schwantje, a wildlife veterinarian with the biodiversity branch at the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, said the FONV contacted her about their work on behalf of the horses, asking whether they could validate the fact that these horses were genetically unique.

She said their report was very preliminary and didn't contain a lot of findings. "It's not a very high priority for us because horses are not considered wildlife in this province, they're feral domestic animals, and our ministry does not recognize them as having value," she said.

"People like the idea of wild horses; it's a very popular idea, and it appeals to a lot of people."