Description
The Colorado Department of Agriculture is seeking approval to establish a contract with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide wild horse fertility control darting services. The services will be provided by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS) program. The goal of the program is to reduce population growth and protect native ecosystems by darting wild horses with immunocontraceptives. The USDA will manage the project and contract with appropriate personnel to do the actual darting services. The contract will be for a period of 3 years, with an estimated cost of $100,000 per year, not to exceed $300,000.
• The services will be provided in specific wild horse Herd Management Areas.
• The USDA will use darting devices loaded with GonaCon or PZP immunocontraceptives to dart the horses.
• The horses may be baited in with water and/or food to specific locations.
• Corral traps may be used at the discretion of the property owner to gather small groups of horses.