Hello and Happy Tuesday to everyone.

Our advocacy for the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park started long before our organization was officially formed in 2021.  We repeatedly expressed concerns about the experimentation of GonaCon on our mares with Park officials.  When the lack of transparency the Park is well-known for continued, we started talking with American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) and eventually retained the law firm of Eubanks and Associates. 

I want to start by saying that we are NOT opposed to birth control being used.  What we are opposed to is our horses literally being experimented on for 11 years. 

We also had a GREAT Horse Talk with Dr. Dan Baker – the lead researcher on this experiment.  You can view that video on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/kdLHvgVmIuw

When we moved to North Dakota in 2016, we immediately became concerned about the experimentation that was being done on our horses with GonaCon.  We were also extremely concerned that since the primary funding for this experiment was coming from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that they would be using GonaCon on mares on the western range to try to permanently sterilize wild horses everywhere.  Later, an AWHC FOIA request for the GonaCon experimentation information from the BLM validated our concerns.

This experiment started in 2009 and was supposed to be a 4-year experiment.  We have asked if there was an Environmental Assessment done BEFORE the experiment started or if the public was properly notified.  Since we get crickets for a response from the Park, we are assuming that answer is “NO!”

At the end of the 4 years, as Dr. Dan Baker stated in our Horse Talk, they found that 19 of the 25 mares that they hand injected with GonaCon in 2009 and then hand injected with a booster in 2013 did not foal. More than that, for the remainder of the experiment that ended in 2020, 19 of those 25 mares did not return to fertility.  I will say that there are one or two that HAVE foaled since the experiment ended.  In perfect “Park” fashion, they refused to allow Dr. Baker to continue to monitor those mares after 2020 and it is not clear if the Park has since treated those mares with GonaCon.  As much as we hate the thought of these horses being experimented on, we understand why Dr. Baker wanted to continue to monitor those horses.  IF they are returning to fertility, he may have found a long-term fertility drug that also allowed mares to return to fertility.  This would be great to use on older mares that have contributed to the genetics of the herd.  It would also have possibly saved the lives of 7 older mares and foals that have died during the birthing process in TRNP since 2018.  Since this experiment is now over, and the Park is determined to eliminate the herd altogether, there is a lot we will never know. 

The long-awaited final report on GonaCon has FINALLY been released.  You can download and read it here:

I find this report, and the experimentation that was done on our horses appalling.  A very special THANK YOU goes to those named at the end of the report.  While every wild horse advocate we have met on this journey is petrified to death of GonaCon being used on their heart herds, these self-proclaimed “advocates” not only continue to endorse the use of GonaCon, but they assisted with the 11-year experiment on the TRNP herd.  Additional thanks go out to them as the BLM is now using GonaCon in a very unproven and radical fashion on mares released back on the western range with the hope of permanently sterilizing them. 

The report was funded by the BLM, so expect their narrative to be dominant throughout the paper.  Dr. Baker stated in our Horse Talk, and it is hinted throughout the paper that additional research is needed.  The BLM and NPS aren’t listening.  Their continued radical use of this pesticide is now the preferred method of birth control on wild horses in America.

As hard as this is to read, remember, educated advocates are what we need as we continue to fight for wild horses everywhere.  The use of GonaCon is a BIG topic everyone needs to understand.

Thank you for your support and have a great night. 

---