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WINDHOEK – The Ministry of the Environment and Tourism has taken note of concerns expressed about the welfare and existence of Namib wild horses after the last of four foals born since September fell prey to spotted hyenas.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Romeo Muyunda said yesterday that he shared concerns that unless there is urgent intervention, at the current rate of predation on foals, the wild horse population will show no signs of growth and could decline to become an unsustainable population.
He revealed that there are currently 80 wild horses at Garub in Namib Naukluft Park, consisting of 47 stallions and 33 mares.
"The last five years have been extremely harsh for wild horses, with severe drought and predation from a pack of spotted hyenas that have settled in the area, decimating their numbers," he said. .
Unfortunately, he said, foals are easy targets for these hyenas because they are weak and vulnerable.
According to biologist Telane Greyling, who has been studying wild horses for 20 years, just in 2013, hyenas killed 100 horses, 50 of which were foals. No foal has survived since 2012, which gave the youngest horse to six years.
As a result, the ministry is urgently considering a solution that will reverse this disturbing trend and ensure a healthy and sustainable wild horse population.
He added that recent good rains have improved horse grazing conditions, but that the hyena remains the ultimate threat, leaving no chance for foals to survive.
According to Muyunda, the relocation of horses was previously considered and seemed less viable. The ministry is now planning to move the hyenas to protect wild horses from possible extermination or extinction.
However, he maintained that this must be carefully considered not to disturb the natural ecosystem since hyenas are in their natural habitat.
Similarly, he added that the ministry had already tried to intervene by feeding the hyenas in order to divert their attention from the horse attacks.
The ministry assured the Namibian people and the world that he would react quickly to the deplorable situation of the horses.
"We are aware of the tourism, environmental and economic value of these horses and their extinction," he said.
Muyunda said the ministry is open to collaboration, including the Namibia Wild Horses Foundation, on the protection and conservation of these species, which are not only a tourist attraction, but also a national heritage.
Albertina Nakale
2018-11-27 09:56:59 11 hours ago
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