Heber Wild Horses
  • Save the Heber Wild Horses
  • About
  • VIDEOS
  • Important Links
  • Blog

Rancher Calls for Adoption, Euthanasia, or Slaughter of Entire Heber Wild Horse Herd

6/20/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
KNAU And Arizona News5:00 AM
FRI JUNE 5, 2015

Heber Wild Horses: Legendary Or Problematic?Share
Tweet


E-mail
56 Comments
Print
By AARON GRANILLO

Federal officials are in the process of deciding how to manage a population of horses running wild on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests near the White Mountains. Some cattle ranchers in the area say they’re overgrazing range land, and want them removed. Others say they could be descendants of mustangs brought here by Spanish conquistadors, and deserve extra federal protection. Arizona Public Radio's Aaron Granillo reports.
Larry Gibson is a third-generation rancher in Heber. His barn is lined with dozens of haystacks – food for his 900 head of cattle. They also graze in the forest, but in recent years, Gibson says there hasn’t been as much to eat.

"A lot of these areas, you know, we go and measure the grass before the cows ever get there. There may be 80-percent usage before we ever get there," Gibson says. "If the horses have eaten the feed, you can’t bring your cattle up.”

In his own lifetime – 57-years – Gibson’s seen the wild horse population increase exponentially. He pays the Forest Service about $1,600 a month for grazing rights, and feels he’s not getting his money’s worth. Gibson believes there’s one solution to protect livelihood and land.

“So in my opinion, the best thing to with these up here would be remove every one of them. Whether they go to adoption, or, you know, I hate to say it, euthanized or to a slaughter plant," Gibson says. "I mean that sounds kind of harsh, but something has to be done with them.”

Continue reading at:  http://knau.org/post/heber-wild-horses-legendary-or-problematic







1 Comment
Wendy Rabach
8/6/2015 01:19:40 pm

Mr. Gibson, I sympathize with your dilema. It must be hard to not know where your cattle are going to go to be able to graze and get the food they need, but at least your cattle have a back up. These horses were here before your family. They have been here for generations.....hundreds of years. They are the symbol of the west. An icon. How would you like to be pointed out to future generations as the man who killed the wild horses? How many horses are there, in your estimation? There are less horses than cattle. Are you willing to make some type of compromise? These hoeses should not be moved or killed. They should be able to live out their lives in peace and not be threatened...at least not by mankind

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Archives

    May 2018
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.