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Tell NPS Not to Eliminate Wild Horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Dear John,

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) is home to North Dakota's only herd of wild horses. These beloved and unique equines--which have inhabited the park's badlands since long before TRNP was established--are a significant tourism draw for this 70,000-acre national park. Yet the National Park Service is proposing to eliminate this herd of roughly 186 horses altogether by requiring the "active capture of horses with the methods best suited to reducing the population to zero."

The NPS is accepting public comments as part of the public scoping period for the TRNP "Livestock Plan," so it is imperative to speak up for these wild horses ([link removed]) to ensure the long-term survival of this herd.

Comments must be received by January 31. Below are key points you may wish to include in your comments for the NPS's consideration:

* The proposal to "reduce the population to zero" is extremely controversial, as it would entail permanently removing these historic horses from their natural habitat.
* The wild horses of TRNP should be designated as wildlife, not as livestock, in the agency's planning.
* Roundups subject wild horses to unnecessary stresses and injuries and break apart family bands.
* These wild horses are cherished by North Dakotans and the hundreds of thousands of annual visitors to TRNP as one of the very few herds that live in a national park.
* Before the NPS can finalize its planning process for the removal of wild horses, it must complete an Environmental Impact Statement, given the scope of the agency's preferred management action.
* The public overwhelmingly supports the humane management of wild horses; proven and safe immunocontraceptive vaccines (such as the successful PZP fertility control program that the NPS administers for wild horses on Assateague Island) should be utilized to allow these horses to continue living on public lands.

TAKE ACTION ([link removed])

What You Can Do
Before January 31, please submit a comment opposing the NPS's proposal to eliminate wild horses from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. ([link removed])

Thank you in advance for your help and for all you do for animals!

Sincerely,

Joanna Grossman, PhD
Equine Program Manager

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Photo by skibreck

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