feral horses for member comment 11.8.10

THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY 5410 Grosvenor Lane • Bethesda, MD 20814-2144 Tel: (301) 897-9770 • Fax: (301) 530-2471 E-mail: tws@wildlife.org Draft Position Statement In accordance with TWS policy, The Wildlife Society Council seeks member review and comment on the following draft position statement, Feral Horses and Burros in North America, prior to revising and finalizing it. Comments must be received by 1 February 2011 to be considered in a final position statement. Please send comments to: Laura Bies, Director of Government Affairs, at the address above or via email to laura@wildlife.org. Feral Horses and Burros in North America Feral horses and burros are exotic species in North America. Exotic, or non-native, species are among the most widespread and serious threats to the integrity of native wildlife populations because of their potential to invade and degrade native ecosystems. Exotic plant and animal species present special challenges for wildlife managers because their impacts on the native biota are poorly understood by the general public, and many people regard them as a component of the natural ecosystem. As a result, some exotic species have advocacy groups that promote their continued presence in landscapes where they are not native, and few policies and laws deal directly with control of the species. Feral horses (Equus caballus) and burros (E. asinus) that roam freely across western North America are examples of such ...