If you are concerned about contraceptive use.
Send an urgent request to halt wild horse contraceptive use and reform the advisory committee
Two quick steps:
Fill in the form below with your name and address and click the “Send” button. The letter will be sent to the Premier of Alberta on your behalf.
Note: HAWS will always protect your privacy, and only those emailed will see your contact information.
Honourable Danielle Smith
Premier of Alberta
307 Legislative Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6
Email: premier@gov.ab.ca
CC: Honourable Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks, Email: fp.minister@gov.ab.ca, Todd.Loewen@gov.ab.ca, Alexandra Miller-Tait, Executive Director, Lands Delivery and Coordination South, Forestry and Parks, Email: Alexandra.Miller-Tait@gov.ab.ca, Mike Alexander, Director, Range Conservation and Stewardship, Forestry and Parks, Email: Mike.Alexander@gov.ab.ca, Feral Horse Advisory Committee Secretariat, Email: feralhorses@gov.ab.ca, Sarah Elmeligi, Shadow Minister for Environment and Protected Areas, Email: Banff.kananaskis@assembly.ab.ca
RE: Urgent Request to Halt Wild Horse Contraceptive Use and Reform the Advisory Committee
Dear Premier Smith,
I am writing to urgently call for an immediate halt to your government’s plan, as reported by CBC News on September 8, 2026, to administer the contraceptive vaccine SpayVac-Equid to Alberta’s wild horses and remove young stallions from the wild.
According to the Wild Horses of Alberta Society (WHOAS) President Jack Nichol, this time the SpayVac vaccine will be used instead of Zonastat-H, and it will be administered by hand. This is alarming because repeating the failed 2014 pilot program poses severe risks. SpayVac works by causing long-term ovarian shutdown, with studies showing pregnancy prevention lasting 3 to 7 years, unpredictable reversibility, and sometimes permanent infertility and ovarian damage. Furthermore, capturing and hand-administering this vaccine to wild bands guarantees traumatic social disruption, stress, and injury.
I urge your government to immediately halt all contraceptive and capture operations, pending an independent review - and reform the Feral Horse Advisory Committee (FHAC) based on three critical failures:
Severe Conflict of Interest: WHOAS holds a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with your ministry that explicitly involves horse capture and contraceptive administration. Allowing a group that participates in a delivery mandate for these operations to sit on the advisory committee tasked with recommending management policies represents a severe conflict of interest.
Failure of Advisory Committee Integrity: Sound public policy also requires government advisory bodies to adhere to rigorous, transparent vetting standards and maintain balanced composition. The current FHAC structure does not reflect balanced perspectives or the independent scientific expertise needed to ensure decisions are evidence-based and grounded in unbiased wild horse ecology and humane welfare standards.
Insufficient Baseline Data: Major wildlife management decisions require verifiable population baselines, independent herd viability models, and public transparency. Proceeding with horse captures and multi-year chemical contraception without subjecting protocols to independent peer review undermines public trust and scientific integrity.
Alberta’s wild horses are a cherished part of its natural heritage. Policy decisions regarding their future must be grounded in transparent science, rigorous vetting and genuine public accountability.
Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
[Your information will appear here]