FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
CONTACT:    Dianne Nelson
September 18, 2005
916/972-1650
whs2@frontiernet.net.
   

WILD HORSE BIRTH CONTROL WITH PZP
 

There is a crisis for wild horses in the West! Overgathering by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has brought pressure to change legislation that makes it possible for wild horses to be sold for slaughter. A long-lasting single-dose contraceptive vaccine of PZP, such as SpayVac, could greatly alleviate this situation. We expect that one dose of SpayVac will provide contraception for 3-5 years, without disrupting the normal social behavior of wild horses. The Wild Horse Sanctuary has a long history of promoting contraception as a tool to control wild horse populations, with the very first field trials being conducted here nearly 25 years ago. Now WHS has the opportunity to work with University of California, Davis to help with a trial of SpayVac, but we need financial help to make this happen. Our goal is to raise $16,000 by early October 2005 so that the project can start during the annual gather on the WHS.

For information about SpayVac, see www.spayvac.org under "Wildlife" or email Dianne Nelson at whs2@frontiernet.net.

Please make checks payable to Wild Horse Sanctuary with "SpayVac trial" in the memo line and send to:
WHS
P.O. Box 30
Shingletown, CA 96088