ECOSYSTEM EXTINCTION
THE POSSIBLE GRIM FATE OF WILD MUSTANGS IN ARIZONA BY IVY CIOLLI
E
arth Day falls on April 22 each year, and 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement.
The 1970s were apparently the awakening of more environmentally conscious minds, but sadly, half a century later, we’re still struggling to uphold the movements and legislation meant to protect Mother Earth and all its inhabitants.
lucrative holding pens, and only the lucky few find their way to sanctuaries who have to strategically bid to buy them at auction. With this issue at the forefront of my mind, it’s our future generation that keeps me motivated to draw attention around such a controversial topic.
On this milestone Earth Day, turn your thoughts to the importance of our ecosystem. In a natural, healthy ecosystem there is a balance between predator and prey, with each regulating the numbers of the other. But when humans interfere by killing off too many of the natural predators, the result is unnaturally inflated numbers of prey species, which then leads to overgrazing, damage to the environment, and eventually mass starvation.
While skiing with my family in Park City, Utah recently, a horse-loving 10-year-old girl took the chairlift up with us on our first run. When she learned that we lived in Arizona, she immediately asked if we get to see wild horses on a regular basis. I explained to her when driving in the mountains, especially near the Salt River, you can be fortunate to see a herd of wild mustangs. Although, the reality is you may not be able to see them in the wild for long. I didn’t say this because I couldn’t bear to tell her that they are in imminent danger of losing their freedom. Instead, young children like her are put in my path to remind me to keep speaking up for the voiceless.
This overgrazing has become the fate of the wildlife that dwell on the land designated to the cattle ranchers—and can possibly lead to the extinction of wild mustangs. For these horses, their future looks grim. Many end up at slaughter houses in Mexico or Canada, some are held in ranchers'
As a child, I grew up horseback riding and had a horse named Bandit that my father saved from being euthanized. The highlight of my childhood was taking English riding lessons at a barn near my home, and on occasion, riding Western on a family friend’s ranch. In addition, my chiropractic father
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greenliving | April 2020
greenlivingaz.com
