B.C.B次元官网网址檚 top B次元官网网址榗owboy copB次元官网网址� is investigating the deaths of 17 wild horses that were shot on B.C. Crown land near Kamloops.
B次元官网网址淭his is simply a cruel act,B次元官网网址� said Cpl. Cory Lepine with the B.C. RCMP Livestock Section.
Lepine works as a livestock investigator who looks into everything from stolen or poached cattle to cases of fraud, disputes between neighbours and suspicious livestock deaths.
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Lepine is leading the investigation in collaboration with the RCMPB次元官网网址檚 Forensic Identification Section. Lepine said that he will be B次元官网网址渒nocking on doorsB次元官网网址� in the area in the coming days as part of the investigation.
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The RCMP was contacted about the deaths on March 10, and it is believed that the horses had been dead for approximately two weeks, said Lepine.
The horses were not a managed herd and B次元官网网址渄onB次元官网网址檛 belong to anyone,B次元官网网址� but frequented Skeetchestn First Nation land and were known to the community.
Feral horses are a risk on roads for drivers and are known to encroach on livestock grazing areas which can spread disease and damage the land.
B次元官网网址淭hey do get a bit of a bad reputation,B次元官网网址� said Lepine.
While the broncos can be a risk to the public and a nuisance to local residents, they hold historical significance to the area, explained Lepine.
B次元官网网址淭he motive behind this disheartening act cannot be confirmed at this point. However, investigators will continue to collect and examine everything available,B次元官网网址� said Cpl. James Grandy with the B.C. RCMP.
The herd may have been living in the area for hundreds of years, said Lepine. ItB次元官网网址檚 likely that these feral animals are not simply a result of dumped domesticated horses but are descendants of a wild population that travelled to North America from Russia prior to European exploration and colonization.
There are approximately 200 wild horses living in the , located North West of Kamloops in the Cariboo region. The feral population has a unique genetic makeup compared to other horses in Canada, indicative of their storied past.
Lepine explained that the herds do need to be controlled but the government has specific, science-based methods of managing the population of horses.
Anyone with any information relating to the shooting of the horses are asked to contact Lepine at 250-299-7462, or by email cory.lepine@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com
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