A recent report suggested horses on a small island off Canada’s Atlantic shore risk extinction, and at least one biologist says it would be better for the ecosystem if they were gone.
Sable Island ‘like Galapagos’
Sable Island is only 30 square kilometres, bereft of trees and home some unique species of plants and animals. “Sable Island is really the closest thing in Canada we have to the famous Galapagos Islands. Like the Galapagos Islands, Sable Island is threatened by invasive species like the domestic horses,” says Ian Jones, a biologist at Memorial University.
ListenThe horses were brought to the island in the 1760s and have been left to fend for themselves. The population has varied given harsh weather conditions and no shelter. To add to their problems, climate change and rising ocean levels could inundate the island and inbreeding could further weaken the herd, says a scientific report for Parks Canada.
Sable Island now a national park
That government department became the steward of Sable Island last December, taking over from the government of the province of Nova Scotia. Now that it is an officially-designated park, Sable Island and its original ecosystem should be protected, says Jones. For him that means the horses should be removed.
Parks Canada says it will examine scientific reports and consult with the public before deciding what to do. However, spokeswoman Theresa Bunbury did speak to the public broadcaster, CBC, in support of the horses remaining on the island.
‘Horses considered iconic’
“The horses have been living on the island since the mid-1700s and are considered iconic to Sable Island,” she said.
“The horses will be protected by Parks Canada as wildlife under the Canada National Parks Act and the National Parks Wildlife Regulations.”
Parks Canada ‘breaking its own rules’
“Well that’s a blatant violation of Parks Canada’s own legislation which says its primary priority is to preserve native species and natural ecosystems on islands,” says Jones. “As far as I’m concerned Parks Canada is breaking its own rules and has just horribly lost its way here.”
Jones says the government has the technology to remove the horses and there are plenty of people who love horses and would gladly adopt them.
Among the species that would benefit, he says, are 13 plant species, various birds, butterflies and moths, beetles, freshwater sponges and the Sable Island sweat bees, which have just been assessed as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
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