Namibia's wild horses face a looming drought

WINDHOEK, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Groups that are concerned with the survival of Namibia's wild horses that roam the desert in the south of the country are appealing for help in the face of a looming drought.

The wild horses' population has declined from 168 in 1984 to 86 in 2017, including 51 stallions and 35 mares.

The horses have been roaming the area for more than 100 years even before the Namib Naukluft Park Desert was declared a national park.

The Aus Lüderitz Business Action Group together with the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Aus and Lüderitz fear that if the current dry condition persists, more horses will die.

In a statement Tuesday, the Aus Lüderitz Business Action Group spokespersons Bernd Roemer and Piet Swiegers pleaded with other organizations to urgently deal with the situation.

Roemer and Swieger said the wild horses were being weakened and decimated by the extended drought that has been ravaging the region since 2013.

"No foals have survived since 2012, presenting a generation gap of five years, which will cause a genetic bottleneck in due course. It will not be long before the population is functionally extinct," they said.

In addition to the drought, Roemer and Swieger said the spotted hyenas were preying on the wild horses, especially now that the numbers of indigenous game species in the area have also dwindled.

"An immediate, viable and yet affordable short-term solution could be to relocate the clan of hyenas to other areas or nature parks (for instance east of the Fish River) so that the horses get some time to recuperate and start breeding again once the rainfall resumes," they suggested. Enditem