Page 12 - atoday

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 24 January 2017
Puerto Rico island tackles over-population of horses

DANICA COTO until they’re needed next. erations in the early 2000s. expect to inject virtually due for a booster shot.
Associated Press Feeding and sheltering a “There are more and more all the island’s mares with “It’s hard to confirm who’s
VIEQUES, Puerto Rico (AP) confined horse on an island horses all the time,” said Vi- contraceptives by the end who,” said team leader
— Another long holiday with a median income of eques Mayor Victor Emeric. of the year. Kali Pereira as she flipped
weekend is starting, and less than $20,000 a year “It’s not that easy to solve The program will cost up to through a binder contain-
tourists are flocking by ferry is out of reach for many. this problem.” $200,000 a year to run and ing files identifying all the
and small plane to Vieques, horses that had already re-
a tiny island off the coast of ceived their first shot.
Puerto Rico that’s famed The logistics of darting
for bright turquoise waters, are tricky. Wildlife experts
lush mangrove forests and have to identify hundreds
picturesque free-roaming of mares (sometimes by
horses. the direction in which their
In an empty lot near the mane falls), register their
$500-a-night W Retreat GPS coordinates, photo-
& Spa, a man with a gun graph them, assign them
is stalking some of those a number and give them
mares. He slowly walks to- their first shot. Then they
ward a group of brown have to find them again
and white horses, raises a several weeks later to give
pistol and fires. A brown them a second injection
mare kicks her hind legs that they’ll receive annu-
and sprints away. ally.
Richard LaDez, director of Pereira squinted and took
security for The Humane So- her shot. The dart whizzed
ciety of the United States, through the air and landed
picks up a contracep- on the rump of a horse that
tive dart that fell from the kicked up its hind legs and
horse’s rump and declares, ran off. The rest of the herd
“We’re good!” He gives In this Jan. 13, 2017 photo, Dave Pauli, senior director for the U.S. Humane Society wildlife response joined her, their manes fly-
a thumb’s up to a team team, waits for an opportunity to shoot horses with a vaccine dart as part of a birth control pro- ing out of sight. The team
waging an unusual fight to gram to manage the horse population in Vieques, Puerto Rico. The horse population has grown sighed. They still had to dart
control a tourist attraction to an estimated 2,000 animals that break water pipes to quench their thirst, knock over garbage several more mares in that
that’s become something cans in search of food and die in car crashes that have increased as tourists flock to Vieques, group.
which grew in popularity after the U.S. Navy shuttered military operations in the early 2000s.
close to a plague on the (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti) Many locals have em-
island, best known as the braced the darting pro-
site of a former U.S. military gram and took dozens of
bombing range. Some horses are branded, Desperate, Emeric called is funded entirely through their horses to a Humane
First imported by Spanish many are not and a few the Humane Society, donations. Society-sponsored event
colonists, horses are used just run wild. which agreed to launch a Stephanie Boyles Griffin, for contraceptive shots
by many of Vieques’ 9,000- Officials say that as a re- five-year program of dis- the Humane Society’s se- and deworming. Among
odd residents for running sult, it’s nearly impossible to patching teams to Vieques nior director of wildlife fer- them was 19-year-old Jesus
errands, taking children control the horse popula- armed with compressed-air tility control programs, said Miranda, who said his fam-
to school, transporting tion and hold owners ac- rifles, pistols and hundreds she expects the horses to ily owns six to eight horses
fishermen to their boats, countable when trouble of darts loaded with the be healthier and live lon- that he rides several times
competing in informal occurs. The population animal contraceptive PZP. ger, noting that the oldest a week.
races between teenage has grown to an estimated The program began in No- horses on Vieques are 7 to “It’s in our blood, you un-
boys and delivering late- 2,000 animals that break vember and picked up 10 years old, while the aver- derstand?” said Miranda,
night drinkers back home. water pipes to quench their speed with a two-day push age lifespan for wild horses who knows his horses’ birth-
They’re adored by tourists, thirst, knock over garbage by about a dozen volun- is 15 to 20 years. days by heart.
who love taking pictures of cans in search of food and teers and Humane Society On a recent weekend He brought two horses to
them eating mangos and die in car crashes that have employees over the Martin morning, members of the event, Wifi and Burro
frolicking on the beaches. increased as tourists flock Luther King Day weekend. one darting team peered Fly, which mingled with
Many locals keep their to Vieques, which grew More than 160 mares have through their binoculars as other horses including one
horses in open fields near in popularity after the U.S. been darted and Humane they waited for an opening named Gringo, which had
the sea, where they graze Navy shuttered military op- Society officials say they to shoot a mare that was pale blue eyes.q

Protesters take control of Mexican border crossing with US

ELLIOT SPAGAT ico zipped by about 50 at the San Diego-Tijuana several miles east to the dent Donald Trump, have
Associated Press demonstrators at the Otay San Ysidro port of entry, Otay Mesa port of entry. disrupted Mexican border
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — Mesa port of entry con- the busiest crossing along Inspections were normal crossings for weeks. Ear-
Protesters took control of necting San Diego and Ti- the 2,000-mile border, and for all travelers entering lier this month, police in the
vehicle lanes at one of juana, many of them honk- halted southbound traffic the U.S. from Mexico. A Mexican state of Sonora
the busiest crossings on ing to show support. The at one of two crossings in CBP statement said that fought a pitched three-
the U.S. border Sunday to demonstrators waved signs Nogales, Arizona. U.S. Cus- Mexico-bound motorists hour battle to free a bor-
oppose Mexican gasoline to protest gas hikes and air toms and Border Protection were directed to the other der rail crossing at Nogales
price hikes, waving through other grievances against and California Highway crossing for 5 1/2 hours at that had been blocked by
motorists into Mexico after the government of Mexi- Patrol officers closed south- the request of Mexican people protesting the 20
Mexican authorities aban- can President Enrique Pena bound Interstate 5 to block authorities. The demonstra- percent nationwide hike in
doned their posts. Nieto. Other protests closed access to the San Ysidro tions, which are unrelated gasoline prices that took
Motorists headed to Mex- southbound traffic for hours crossing, diverting traffic to the election of U.S. Presi- effect on New Year’s Day.