Saskatchewan considers new law to protect wild ponies in the Bronson Forest

REGINA - The shooting deaths of wild ponies in northwestern Saskatchewan has prompted the government to consider a new law to save the animals.

A private member's bill has been introduced in the legislature that would protect the herd of ponies that live in the Bronson Forest, northeast of Lloydminster, near the Alberta boundary.

"Our herd has dwindled from 150 to less than 40 and we're finding piles of dead animals," said Saskatchewan Party's Tim McMillan, who introduced the bill Thursday.

"We've got to do something or we lose it (the herd)."

McMillan said existing legislation didn't protect the ponies, which are believed to be the only wild horses in Saskatchewan.

"They've been there for generations, some say back in the 1800s, but they were originally domesticated horses that broke out or were let out back in the homesteading days," said McMillan. "They've flourished up there ever since until just recently."

McMillan, who is also a rancher, couldn't say why the ponies were killed or who might be responsible. The ponies are "beloved by the local community," he said.

It was local rancher Robert Hougham who called McMillan after his son found the pile of dead ponies.

"I was pretty distressed about it, of course," said Hougham, who has watched the "beautiful little ponies" since the 1950s.

"It seems such a sad thing that they could survive all those years, survive the elements, the cold harsh winters and the wildlife, the wolves that are in that country ... but a hunter comes in there with a high-powered rifle and he can sit and destroy them for no good reason," he said.

"It's just such a shame I think."

Hougham said he called Natural Resources staff and police, but "their hands were tied" because there aren't any laws to cover the situation.

The Protection of the Wild Ponies of the Bronson Forest Act introduced Thursday says the ponies are a living and historical tourist attraction. The act states that no person shall in any way wilfully molest, interfere with, hurt, capture or kill any of the wild ponies of the Bronson Forest.

If passed, people who break the law could face a $1,000 fine, be jailed for two months or both.

The proposed law is to be debated next week and is expected to be supported by the Saskatchewan Party government and the Opposition NDP.

The idea is also being backed by the Wild Horses of Alberta Society, which has seen similar shootings.

Three wild horses, including a pregnant mare, were found shot to death near Sundre, Alta., in April. Since the early '90s, nearly 30 wild horses have been fatally shot in Alberta.

"It's really gut wrenching when you see something like what happened in the Bronson Forest," society president Bob Henderson said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press.

The wild ponies in Saskatchewan are "an awe-inspiring site," he said.

Henderson said to his knowledge only the Sable Island horses in Nova Scotia are protected and that's by federal law. He applauded the proposed law in Saskatchewan.

"It gives us hope here in Alberta, too, that if Saskatchewan has gone ahead with legislation, that maybe we can convince the Alberta government to do the same," said Henderson.