Congratulations for drawing attention to the plight of Sable Island’s horses (‘A devastating impact’: Canada’s wild horses destroy its biodiversity but the public can’t let them go, 6 October). I am saddened that 150 have died after a hard winter but, having visited the island several times, I would include Parks Canada’s non-interference policy as a key factor. I witnessed a horse dying because it could not move; its hooves resembled Turkish slippers. Parks Canada officials told me that it was “nature”. It is not “nature” because the horses are feral, not wild. They are not native to the island and cannot survive there without support.
I concur with Prof Ian Jones that the horses are a population of abandoned animals under extreme stress, and if they are also having a devastating impact on the island’s biodiversity perhaps it is time they were rehomed.
Diane Rickard
Newton Blossomville, Buckinghamshire
