Santa Barbara County, CA
|
| ||
|
NPS plans call for returning the island to its natural state. Unfortunately since the horses aren't recognized by the NPA, it is their plan to remove them from the island.
Return to Wild Horses & Burros in CaliforniaReturn to KBR World of Wild Horses & BurrosGo to other Wild Horse LinksGo To
| |||
In February, 1997, the National Park Service purchased Santa Cruz Island from the
Francis Gherini family. During negotiations to purchase the island, they were
not aware of the herd of wild horses which lived there. Those members of the
public who knew of the presence of the horses incorrectly assumed that the NPS
would maintain this unique and interesting herd.
The Santa Cruz horses possess a number of unique characteristics having adapted to
the island conditions over many generations. One example of this uniqueness
is their year-round breeding cycle which is uncommon to nearly all other
North American wild horses. A grass roots effort is underway to preserve
these historic horses and we urge you to visit Save the Heritage Herd
Foundation's 