MEDORA, N.D. (KFYR) – The fate of the wild horses remaining in Theodore Roosevelt National Park is still up in the air as the National Park Service is set to make a decision in April.
The Park Service released a summary of public comments on whether the horses should stay or go last Wednesday.
Senator John Hoeven is behind legislation that would keep the animals where they are. He says the legislation makes it clear the direction the Senate wants the park to take with regard to the horses.
“That directs them to retain horses as part of the Interior Department’s appropriation bill for this year. So, that also puts Congress on record in support of horses and it really puts us in a position, I think, if they don’t come through and keep horses like I think they will be based on our ongoing negotiations, we would be in a position then to essentially go back and prohibit them from using any funding to remove horses from the park,” said Hoeven.
Hoeven says he is unsure why the Park Service would want to remove the wild horses from Theodore Roosevelt Park but says the argument they use is that they weren’t indigenous or native to that area prior to it becoming a park. He says in terms of the number of horses, he says Congress wants to maintain the genetic diversity.