MINISTER LAUNCHES "ADOPT A KAIMANAWA HORSE" CAMPAIGN

The Minister of Conservation Nick Smith, at a joint news conference with Peg Loague, President of the Royal New Zealand SPCA, today launched a campaign to find good homes for horses that are to be mustered and removed from the Kaimanawa ranges.

"The last thing I want is horses having to be put down. Every effort is going to be made over the next month to find good homes for as many horses as possible.

"I am committed to maintaining a viable population of 500 horses in the wild, which is the maximum number sustainable in this fragile environment. Any greater number will, in the long term, put both the native plants and wild horses at risk."

Over Easter the Department of Conservation, along with independent observers, conducted a count of the horses. This initial count has been cross-checked and the best estimate of the wild horse population in the Kaimanawa ranges is 1700. The Minister of Conservation has consulted with interested groups and received advice on the logistics of a muster operation. He has decided that over next two months the surplus horses will be mustered and removed from the ranges. Another census will be conducted following the muster operation to ensure that at least 500 horses remain.

"I am in a no-win situation. Some people would have me not touch a hair on a horse's head and others want to see all the horses destroyed to save the plants. Leaving 500 horses ensures a manageable population as well as the survival of the plants."

Newspaper advertisements will be placed throughout the country over this coming weekend, encouraging people to adopt a Kaimanawa horse. Those people interested will be sent an "Adopt a Kaimanawa horse" information kit prepared in conjunction with the RNZSPCA. These kits will ensure prospective buyers of the horses are well informed of the skills and attention needed to look after a wild horse.

"Care of the horses is a top priority. Anybody considering taking a Kaimanawa wild horse has to be clear that it needs a considerable amount of care. These horses are unbroken, wild animals. "The RNZSPCA will thoroughly screen all prospective owners when they register and will check on the horses' welfare within six months of purchasing a horse. This process will help ensure horses only go to good homes. The cost of this is to be partly met by a registration fee of $50 per owner."

The muster will start as soon as possible and will take approximately eight weeks. Mustered horses will be transferred by truck to leased farmland until results of the "Adopt a Kaimanawa horse" campaign are known. Horses for which good homes can not be found will have to be sent to the abattoir.

"The challenge for horse lovers and myself is to find as many good homes as possible over the next month. Over 11,000 people signed a petition to parliament concerned about the welfare of the horses. If at least one in ten were prepared to adopt a horse, our problem would be solved."