One of the reasons we came to Ocean City Md for two weeks was for the opportunity to see the Assateague horses up close. I'd heard about them and seen pictures, but had to see for myself.
These horses have lived on Assateague Island for more than 200 years and have survived by becoming more efficient in their use of the limited food and water available in this harsh environment.
Something that has intrigued me is the National Park Service's method of reducing overpopulation. Instead of allowing these beautiful animals to be killed, they allow each mare to have one foal and then dart her with birth control. This humane way of managing the population is something that should be looked at for more wild animals.
A battle that the Park Service fights every day is the same one I have seen in the Smoky Mountains and in Cases Caove, especially. These animals are wild, not domesticated. But you will always find some yahoo that feeds them human food to get them to come closer or to get a better photo. Brochures from the NPS show the bite marks left by these horses when they become spooked. It seems that humans always present the most danger to any wild animal.
Still, it was a wonderful day and I did get to see some of the horses, doing their thing.
P.S. The little four-legged wild things on the beach are not horses :)
These horses have lived on Assateague Island for more than 200 years and have survived by becoming more efficient in their use of the limited food and water available in this harsh environment.
Something that has intrigued me is the National Park Service's method of reducing overpopulation. Instead of allowing these beautiful animals to be killed, they allow each mare to have one foal and then dart her with birth control. This humane way of managing the population is something that should be looked at for more wild animals.
A battle that the Park Service fights every day is the same one I have seen in the Smoky Mountains and in Cases Caove, especially. These animals are wild, not domesticated. But you will always find some yahoo that feeds them human food to get them to come closer or to get a better photo. Brochures from the NPS show the bite marks left by these horses when they become spooked. It seems that humans always present the most danger to any wild animal.
Still, it was a wonderful day and I did get to see some of the horses, doing their thing.
P.S. The little four-legged wild things on the beach are not horses :)
