BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Advocates for some 200 wild horses roaming North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park are hoping a signal of support from Congress will prevent the removal of the beloved animals from the rugged landscape.

The National Park Service will make a decision in April regarding the future of the horses in the vibrant and hilly Badlands. This is part of an ongoing effort to create a park management plan for the animals known as “livestock,” which is a term that horse supporters do not agree with.

Senator John Hoeven, a Republican, included a provision in the yearly budget for the Department of the Interior and the Environment, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden. This measure strongly advises the Park Service to maintain the current location of the horses and implies that any future attempts to remove them would not receive funding.

Hoeven stated in an interview with The Associated Press that they will continue to engage in conversation with them, with the goal of reaching a favorable resolution.

One unanswered question is how many horses will be needed to sustainably maintain the herd in the long run. Supporters propose that a genetically diverse herd of at least 150 horses should be maintained to prevent problems with inbreeding. Park Superintendent Angie Richman has stated that if the horses ultimately remain, their population would still have to be decreased to between 35 and 60 animals based on a 1978 environmental evaluation.

No responses were received from Richman or the National Park Service when asked for comment regarding Hoeven’s legislation through email.

The park officials have stated that their assessment of whether or not to keep the horses aligns with their guidelines of removing non-native species if they pose a threat to the resources. The park has suggested removing the horses immediately, gradually, or not taking any action at all.

Activists have been concerned about the anticipated removal of the horses, whose ancestors were unintentionally confined to the park in the 1950s and were subsequently chased out in subsequent events.

Castle McLaughlin, a graduate student who worked for the Park Service in North Dakota during the 1980s, found that the horses in the park have a diverse history including Native American tribes, local ranches, and domestic stallions brought in from the late 1970s to the 1990s.

McLaughlin expressed that the horses in North Dakota serve as a representation of the horses owned by both Native and non-Native people over the past 150 years. She commended state leaders for their dedication to preserving the horses and cautiously hopes that the Park Service will make the right decisions.

The park’s picturesque roads and hiking paths are frequently visited by horses, exciting both onlookers and photographers.

The majority of feedback from the public regarding the decision-making process has expressed a preference for keeping the horses.

Chris Kman, President of Wild Horse Advocates, expressed optimism that the legislation will lead to the horses remaining where they are. However, she is waiting for the park to make a decision and is curious about how the legislation will impact the horses’ management plan.

I am unsure if any of us will have confidence, even with the approval of Congress, that the park will make the ethical decision to let a genetically sustainable group of horses remain. Their stance from the beginning has been that they are unable to keep the horses, despite acknowledging the public’s desire to do so, and will not change their decision regardless of the majority opinion.

In the previous year, Governor Doug Burgum proposed a partnership with the state to care for the park’s horses. Richman has expressed a willingness to cooperate with the governor and state in order to reach a positive resolution.

The horses in the South Unit of the park near Medora will be impacted by the final decision made by park officials. Additionally, approximately nine longhorn cattle in the park’s North Unit will also be affected.

Source: wral.com