Removal of Wild Horses Completed
The last five horses of a wild herd were removed from Santa Cruz Island on Friday, ending a protracted legal struggle at Channel Islands National Park.
The animals, part of a herd of 16 that roamed the island after being abandoned during the island’s ranching era, were shipped to Buellton en route to a ranch for wild horses in Northern California. Santa Cruz Island, a popular destination for tourists, was reopened Friday after being closed for three days during the horse removal.
The Santa Barbara-based group Foundation for Horses and Other Animals unsuccessfully sued to prevent the horses from being relocated. It argued the animals have been on the island long enough to establish them as endemic to the local environment.
But after 16 months of legal wrangling, the courts ruled in favor of the National Park Service, which was intent on removing the animals because it said the horses posed a long-term threat to the island environment.
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