Wild Ponies Protected By New Legislation

Wild Ponies Protected By New Legislation

Friday, November 27, 2009 at 14:58

The wild ponies living in the province’s Bronson Forest are now protected under law, thanks to a bill passed yesterday in the provincial legislature.

The bill was passed with one amendment, put forward by the Opposition, to include consulting First Nations in the area.

NDP critic Judy Junor says the First Nations, including Island Lake and Onion Lake, were not consulted in the original bill brought forward by the Saskatchewan Party.

“This would protect their rights, and this is definitely the duty to consult — it’s something that they were very keen on having recognized, and they didn’t feel that it was, up to this point. No one disagrees that we want to see the ponies protected. We don’t want to see them harmed. Nobody disagreed with that,” Junor says.

Lloydminister MLA Tim McMillan says he made the First Nations in the area aware that he was introducing the bill.

He introduced the bill a few weeks ago, after ranchers in the area brought him photos of ponies that had been shot and killed.

McMillan says the herd of around 40 ponies was once around 125, and immediate action was needed to protect the ponies.