There are horses abandoned by man in an African desert.

[Black Wolf]

They somehow survived there for over 100 years but they suffer immensely. Man originally put them there where they don't belong and he should move them to a better place or humanely put them all down. Native animals there are designed by nature to live there. The horses are an invasive species there. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agByBcPSVi4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namib_Desert_Horse

[Catherine]

I have never heard of the Namibian Desert Horses. I will have to read up and watch the video tomorrow. It is getting late here.
After 100 years they do seem to have adapted to life there.

[Black Wolf]

(04-09-2021, 02:52 PM)Catherine Wrote: I have never heard of the Namibian Desert Horses. I will have to read up and watch the video tomorrow. It is getting late here.
After 100 years they do seem to have adapted to life there.

They have managed to barely survive as a family tree herd for over 100 years but life is devilishly miserable for them there. Half of newborn foals from that herd die within a couple months of birth. The family tree herd has basically been on life support for a bit over a century. Man is at fault for leaving them there for dead. Mother Nature did not place them there. I wonder if Mustangs in the desert of the American West have life just as tough as those feral horses in Africa. The wild animals that are native to that African desert are well adapted for that life by nature.

[Catherine]

I know that the horses that live wild in North America are fine. They fit right in and are adapted to life here. There actually were prehistoric horses that went extinct so the modern feral horses may be helping to restore the balance of nature.

The Namibian horses are different or perhaps not. They have been living there long enough to have adapted to the environment. What has changed is  the conditions. There was a severe period  of drought. It did cost the lives of most of the foals. It pushed their main predator the hyenas to desperation. They killed many more horses because they were in need. The drought is over and the horses are making a comeback.  They might require some help to survive, but they can survive.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/namib...index.html

https://www.wild-horses-namibia.com/


I am not agreeing with your view of the situation. The horses are adapted to their environment. They have survived for over a century so they must have some degree of stability. They do require help right now because of a severe drought. It is easy to judge their lives as miserable because we would consider the conditions  miserable. The horses are living free and wild and they seem happy with that. Horses seem to be able to adapt and return to the wild. Not all species can do that, but horses definitely can. They do seem to favour dry grassy plains. 
The true wild horse, the Przewalski's horse, lives in Mongolia in the Gobi Desert.  Namibia might be a bit drier and hotter, but the conditions are not that different.  When the conditions are good, Namibia is able to sustain the horses. If the conditions remain good for a few years, the horse could make a comeback.
They will need our help though.

[Black Wolf]

All I can say is I wouldn't want to be a horse in that desert. I would always want clean fresh cool water and green lush grass and clover with plenty of shade trees and maybe some rolling hills. You might not like the notion that the animals should be put down by man to rid them of that rough lifestyle though that might be the least expensive option for them to escape such a hard life. When your horse breaks a leg in the wilds, you humanely dispatch it with your gun. 

They may need our help but nobody may offer it still. If Mother Nature kills off each and every one of them in the end, they will feed wild predators there. If you are personally rich, maybe YOU yourself can rescue them to a more heavenly livelihood if the Namibian government would even comply. Those poor horses seem to be good for the profitability of tourism though. Namibian authorities might not want somebody to adopt them all even if they had means to do so. They are a living historical conversation piece. 

I think most would agree that man should never abandon domestic animals anywhere in the first place and let any invasive species go free. Anyway, I'm sheltered, pampered and provided for in America with steaks, potatoes, air conditioning, running water and yummy milkshakes and the Namibian feral horses aren't my personal problem.

[Catherine]

Quote:All I can say is I wouldn't want to be a horse in that desert. I would always want clean fresh cool water and green lush grass and clover with plenty of shade trees and maybe some rolling hills. You might not like the notion that the animals should be put down by man to rid them of that rough lifestyle though that might be the least expensive option for them to escape such a hard life. When your horse breaks a leg in the wilds, you humanely dispatch it with your gun. 

You are judging the horses by what you would want. These horses have lived in Namibia successfully for over 100 years. They seem comfortable with their lives.
They have their own social groups and they have done very well. They are having problems now because of a period of drought. They did lose foals for a number of years. That will effect their numbers in years to come. So they could use a little help.

It has never been established that they were abandoned. They escaped for various reasons and chose to go wild. If they did not want to be wild in Namibia, there are humans living there. They could have approached humans for help. I think some breeds of horses are able to go feral and thrive. There are numerous populations of horses around the world that have gone feral.

I don't think anyone has a right to go in and kill off a population of animals because one has decided that the animals shouldn't live in an area. Euthanizing an individual  injured animal that is suffering is an act of kindness and mercy. Killing off a population of wild horses because one has decided that  their lives are too hard is an act of arrogance.  It means that someone thinks they know what is best for the horses.

The horses don't need to be rescued, but they may need some help. They will survive without it. The rains have returned and things will be better. 

These are desert adapted horses and they probably wouldn't do well in the environment you would give them. 
If you wanted to help them The Namibian Wild Horses Foundation accepts donations. These people are aware of what the horses really need.

[Black Wolf]

Perhaps a zoologist or some other professional animal expert knows what's best for this feral herd. I'm just a dumb American who sits at his computer all day long and browses things all over Google and YouTube. I do hate needless animal and human suffering though. The video I posted insists that German colonists, German soldiers and South African soldiers all abandoned their own respective horses arsing from military actions of World War I. Namibia is a former German colony with interest in mining diamonds. The Germans lost their African holdings following World War I. The human stupidity of war and economic greed has resulted in leaving animals in a bad way. If man really left the animals there to their own devices then shame on him. 

I'm not going to worry myself over this anymore. There are lot of hungry people in this world as well. Most suffering of living things in this world is due to the overall faults of man. Man is arrogant, greedy, selfish, sinfully proud, money-hungry and power-hungry.  Those few members of Homo sapiens sapiens with money and/or power contribute to the suffering of many. 

I don't have the means myself to help these horses. I can only offer my ideas of what might be done to otherwise make things better. I can only make suggestions. It was a very interesting video I stumbled upon and I thought it worth sharing here anyway just for the general knowledge of others. 

[Catherine]

It is very nice that you are concerned about the horses. All the wild horse herds in various parts of the world are descended from horses that have escaped or been lost or left behind. They seem to have adapted to wherever they are and they are happy. The Namibian horses are in trouble because of a drought spell, but so are other African animals.  Hopefully with help they will survive and continue their lives in peace.

Humans have a lot of faults and we do need to make changes in the way we do things. However we cannot take the blame for everything that goes wrong in the world. There are a lot of good people doing a lot of good things. Most people are not that good or that bad. Like the horses they are just trying to live their lives.