Health Canada has given the green light for a birth control vaccine to undergo testing on free-roaming horses in Alberta. The Alberta government deems it necessary to manage horse populations to prevent them from overgrazing cattle and wildlife areas.
Contraception is part of the strategies outlined in the province’s feral horse management framework, alongside removal from the wild and adoption. Health Canada confirmed that a “research authorization” was granted for the use of the contraception vaccine SpayVac-Equid in feral horses in late August.
The government is currently assessing the approval details related to horse contraception and is focused on implementing management actions in a humane and science-based manner. The latest feral horse survey revealed a record number of wild horses in Alberta’s equine management zones, with certain zones showing unsustainable population levels.
A previous contraception pilot project launched in 2014 by the province and the Wild Horses of Alberta Society tested the effectiveness of a different vaccine called ZonaStat-H. The project highlighted challenges such as high costs and the difficulty of administering booster shots in rough terrain.
The new approach involves capturing horses, administering the SpayVac-Equid vaccine by hand, and releasing them back into the wild. This method boasts a high success rate, prevents conception for several years, and does not disrupt herd dynamics. The Wild Horses of Alberta Society aims to implement this contraception project in the fall as part of a comprehensive population control strategy.
The society also focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating horses that stray onto private property, emphasizing the importance of managing horse populations while ensuring the animals remain on the land.
