We, the undersigned, demand that Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) IMMEDIATELY stop the use of GonaCon on the wild horses that the taxpaying public has entrusted to their care and management.

We offer the following facts to support our concerns:

·        On September 8, 2020, TRNP Superintendent Wendy Ross signed a Categorical Exclusion stating that they would be giving GonaCon to every female horse aged 8 months old and up.  According to NEPA Policy, a Categorical Exclusion can be done when the agency's action will not have a significant impact on the environment.   Since there is still a lot that is unknown about the effects of GonaCon, including risks of permanent sterilization, according to NEPA, at the very least an Environmental Assessment (EA) should have been performed.  TRNP must correct this NEPA violation and conduct a proper EA that includes the required public comment periods before it continues to vaccinate mares with GonaCon. 

·        On May 28, 2023, Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates hosted a “Horse Talk” with Dr. Dan Baker, the lead researcher on the GonaCon experiment that took place at TRNP on the wild horses from 2009-2020 by Colorado State University (CSU).  He was shocked to be informed that TRNP management was treating every female horse 8 months old and up with GonaCon every year.  Dr. Baker told us that there is no science to support this type of radical vaccine schedule.

·        Dr. Baker also stated concerns about the possible impacts on such a small herd being treated with GonaCon in a way that does not support CSU's research.  Since the risk of permanent sterilization is unknown, any illness or disease that could infect this herd could be detrimental if GonaCon treated mares do not return to fertility.

·        There is not enough scientific research to support the safety of giving GonaCon yearly to fillies under the age of 2 years old. 

·        The current dart delivery method is leaving mares with draining abscesses that, especially in hotter weather, can become infected. 

 While we understand that TRNP feels that there were promising results in the two studies performed by CSU,   more research needs to be done on the long-term effects of GonaCon, especially in young fillies. 

TRNP demands that the public provide science and data in its comments on the management of the wild horses we have entrusted in your care.  We, the taxpaying public, demand the same from TRNP management.  The park is simply experimenting on the wild horses with no scientific justification for its actions. 

Therefore, until GonaCon can be researched further, we ask that if TRNP is going to use birth control on the mares that they use PZP, which has 40 years of history and research, to safely manage the wild horses.