Quote:
Originally Posted by sjemac
I've seen elk and horses grazing on the same hillside. So they could coexist and obviously do. Does having horses mean less elk though? If so, is it worth it? Who decides when and if the horses are negatively affecting the elk and who gets to make the decisions about it? Hopefully not Ottawa.
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The point I'm trying to make is that people blame the horses for the decline in elk numbers. Well the Ya Ha is the biggest notable elk population decline anywhere. From 3000 wintering head to a few hundred! Them were mostly resident elk herds from Banff park. This declined started in the early 90's and these elk have never had a wild horse presence to deal with then or now!! So if it's bs that horses are the cause in the ya ha then it's probably safe to say its probably bs everywhere else. Do they compete? For sure! Is that competition causing population difficulties in other animals? Far from it!