Hello and Happy Monday! Today we have the last blog in this series.
As a reminder, we are asking everyone to take time to do your own research. We have some great starting points for you:
You can learn more about GonaCon on our website: https://chwha.org/gonacon/
We had a Horse Talk with Dr. Dan Baker in 2023 – this is an extremely insightful talk: https://youtu.be/kdLHvgVmIuw
In January, Ginger Fedak spoke at our virtual summit and shared scientific data about GonaCon and PZP: https://youtu.be/H0iigWwM9WE
Lastly, there is a video recording from a fertility conference that Dr. Dan Banker spoke at. You can view this in our Resource Library here: https://chwha.org/library/
Can GonaCon be used responsibly?
It actually is in other Herd Management Areas (HMA’s).
We spoke with one BLM range specialist that said they ONLY use GonaCon on mares over the age of 15 that have contributed to the genetics of the herd OR on mares that are non-responders to PZP.
We could live with that.
There can be benefits to the responsible use of GonaCon on older mares. A few examples are below.
We have seen several older mares, who were NOT given GonaCon during the experiment, die due to complications while foaling over the years. It is heartbreaking. This impact of this was seen strongly when 17 year old Mare Chubby died in 2018 while giving birth to a filly we named Miracle. Miracle lived for 5 days without her mom before literally starving to death. Chubby had foaled yearly probably from the time she was 2-3 years old until she died in 2018.
We have also seen that older mares who are given GonaCon, like Flicka, Twister, Tanker and Lightening, are living to be 23-24 years old. This is something that previously was not common in the TRNP herd.
Sadly, that is NOT what is happening at TRNP though.
EVERY female horse is getting GonaCon almost EVERY year. 2023 Filly Trinity in Stallion Teton’s band just received her 2nd dose of GonaCon last week. Park records released to the public show she received GonaCon in 2024 and the dart mark on her leg last week would seem to prove she was darted again last week.
EVERY OTHER YEAR – remember? That is what the TRNP darter told us.
The darter also told us that they keep darting with GonaCon because “they keep having babies”.
This is true. 4 foals have been born this year.
First, for comparison by this time in previous years, listed below are the number of foals born into this herd along with the total number of live births for that year:
2017: 15 by April 24 and 33 total live births
2018: 14 by April 24 and 28 total live births
2019: 18 by April 24 and 35 total live births
2020: 27 by April 24 and 42 total live births
2021: 16 by April 24 and 26 total live births
2022: 9 by April 24 and 15 total live births
2023: 7 by April 24 and 17 total live births
2024: 6 by April 24 and 10 total live births
2025: 4 year to date
The “good news” is that GonaCon is working?
The “bad news” – the same non-responders like Teepee and Democracy, continue to have babies.
This will be an issue for the park as the new federal legislation requires a healthy herd with genetic diversity. That opens up a whole can of worms we are currently working on to make sure the horses that currently live in the park are protected. More on that in another upcoming blog series on federal legislation.
We asked the TRNP darter, “Why not use PZP on the mares not responding to GonaCon?” His response “PZP would have to be administered every year.” When we told him they were already doing that, he disagreed. We told him that the reports the park shared with the public show they are administering GonaCon pretty much every single year. Hence the question to the park that now calls the validity of reports they are sharing with the public into question.
So, what do we do now?
Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates continues to consult with our legal team and Senator Hoeven’s office on ways we can at the very least get the park to use GonaCon responsibly.
We have a one click email for you to send to the powers that be at the park asking that they stop the aggressive use of GonaCon on this herd: https://secure.everyaction.com/7exTfk62vU6c0On_NDNIfA2
Also remember, as a result of the experimentation at TRNP, BLM protocol is now to inject mares taken off the range with GonaCon, hold them in BLM holding pens for 30 days and then inject them again before re-releasing them on the range. Remember, during the CSU experiment at TRNP, they found that TWO doses of GonaCon were needed to strengthen the efficacy of the drug.
As Dr. Dan Baker stated in his Horse Talk with us, there is no protocol to support such aggressive use of GonaCon by the NPS OR the BLM. Make sure you are speaking up for wild horses to your state and federal legislators.
Remember: “The only causes that actually go away are the ones you lose.” We cannot lose our wild horses.
We believe the cause for responsible birth control on our wild horses will be here for a while. Make sure you are speaking up for them in whatever ways you can.
We will have a recap of this series up next with our stance on GonaCon/fertility control. We will also be talking about federal legislation and also what’s next for us here at Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates. Be sure to check back!
As always, thank you for your continued support and have a great week!
As a reminder, you can read all the blogs in this series here:
Part 1: https://chwha.org/2025/04/23/gonacon-and-the-trnp-herd-part-1/
Part 2: https://chwha.org/2025/04/24/gonacon-and-the-trnp-herd-part-2/
Part 3: https://chwha.org/2025/04/25/gonacon-and-the-trnp-herd-part-3/
Part 4: https://chwha.org/2025/04/29/gonacon-and-the-trnp-herd-part-4/
Part 5: https://chwha.org/2025/05/02/gonacon-and-the-trnp-herd-part-5/
We still have A LOT of work to do! Please click our logo below to make your tax deducible donation to support our critical advocacy work:
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