Hundreds of wild horses faced eviction from national park — then people fought back

Wild horses from a historic herd will get to stay in the North Dakota national park they’ve long called home thanks to years of pressure from the public.

South Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said the National Park Service reversed course on a plan to remove the wild horses from Theodore Roosevelt National Park after he “pressed NPS to strongly consider the broad public support expressed by North Dakotans and other stakeholders for maintaining the wild horses.”

The National Park Service proposed removing about 200 of the horses entirely under an environmental review process in 2022 that advocates fiercely opposed, according to an April 25 news release from his office.

Instead, the agency has opted to manage the herd under an existing environmental plan from 1978 that recommends reducing the herds’ population by an unknown amount, the Associated Press reported.

The agency did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for information.

The history of horses in the rugged badlands landscape dates back to their connection to Native American tribes and then settlers in the Dakotas, the Daily Montanan reported.

The park said the decision to abandon the environmental review “was made after careful consideration of the information and public comment received during the (environmental assessment) process,” the AP reported.

“Park visitors, much to their delight, often encounter the horses while driving or hiking in the rolling, colorful badlands where a young future president, Theodore Roosevelt, hunted and engaged in cattle ranching in the 1880s in what was then Dakota Territory,” the AP reported.

Wildlife advocates celebrated the win but continue to push for federal protections for historic wild horse herds in the western U.S.

“The National Park Service was right to walk back its plan to remove the immensely popular wild horses living inside the bounds of Theodore Roosevelt National Park,” Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, said in a release. “Wild horses are a sight to behold and are also a key draw for thousands of visitors who drive millions in economic activity to gateway communities in the rural reaches of the state.”

The organization credited the advocacy work of Christine Kman, a co-founder of Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates, for rallying “so many North Dakotans, including the state’s leading politicians, to speak up for preserving the presence of the wild horses in the national park.”

“We are beyond thrilled that the National Park Service heard the voices of the people and terminated its current environmental assessment,” Kman said in the release. “We are thankful to our state and federal officials and especially Senator John Hoeven for partnering with us to save this historic wild horse herd.”

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