Alberta gets federal approval to test birth control vaccine on wild horses

EDMONTON — Health Canada says it has approved the use of a birth control vaccine to be tested on free-roaming horses in Alberta.

The provincial government has said wild horse populations in parts of Alberta have reached levels not considered ecologically sustainable.

Those areas are in the western part of the province and include the Sundre, Ghost River, Elbow River and Clearwater zones.

Contraception is one of the measures outlined in Alberta’s feral horse management framework, which also includes removing the animals from the wild and putting them up for adoption.

Health Canada says the Alberta government received research authorization for the use of contraception vaccine SpayVac-Equid on Aug. 24.

The federal agency says the authorization allows the product to be studied in feral horses but does not constitute approval for general use.

It says trials were anticipated to begin in late August and mares are to be monitored for three years for adverse reactions and pregnancy.

Health Canada says it also granted a research authorization for SpayVac-Equid in British Columbia in February for efficacy trials.