The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin: Their History and Future, a thoroughly captivating work of non-fiction by wildlife biologist Wayne McCrory, is an insightful journey into the world of the qiyus, an indigenous name for the majestic, free-roaming horses inhabiting the Chilcotin region of interior B.C. The author describes the dedication of the Xeni Gwet’in people of the Tŝilhqotʼin Nation, whose inspiring efforts over the years have succeeded in achieving a partly protected area for qiyus in the West Chilcotin.
The challenges faced by wild horses in Western Canada are many. Although their numbers have decreased drastically over the decades, ranchers have relentlessly called for culling of the herds in order to preserve grazing land for their cattle. Supported by government, these round ups have resulted in thousands of horses either being captured for human use or entering the slaughter pipeline. Other obstacles facing the horses are brutally severe winters, wildfires, predation and depletion of grazing areas due to human activities such as logging.
Wayne McCrory is not only a renowned biologist and researcher with vast expertise in the field; he is a gifted writer who describes the Chilcotin and its topography and wildlife with unique, accurate and fascinating clarity. The mind’s eye of the reader is treated to images of exquisite beauty and ruggedness in the natural landscape, with beautiful photographs throughout the book’s pages presenting a delightful bonus. We witness the aftermath of both natural and man-made disasters that have impacted the very survival of the qiyus and other wildlife. We share the devastation of loss and the hope of birth and re-growth in a perpetual cycle marked by nature’s pragmatism. We follow the meticulous collecting of horse hair for DNA studies, which have helped to unlock the mysteries of wild horse ancestry and could represent an effective path to end decades of destructive strategies employed by cattle ranchers and government in their war of persecution against these animals.
The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin is a must-read for nature lovers and conservationists and, above all, for those who wish to understand and preserve what remains of a splendid and iconic national treasure – the wild horse.
–Sinikka Crosland
This book is available through Harbour Publishing [The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin : Their History and Future – Harbour Publishing] and also postage-free from Amazon [https://www.amazon.ca/Wild-
