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Protecting Wild Horses Since the Great Depression, wild horses have roamed freely in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways national park in Southeast Missouri. These beautiful animals are living symbols of Missouri's wilderness heritage. Many people consider them a Missouri treasure. That is why so many of us were sickened by the news last fall that someone had murdered six wild horses. Not even a young black colt was sparred during the killing spree. News of the killings sparked outrage in Missouri and across the nation. Because these wild horses are federally protected animals, an investigation followed. Local, state and federal law enforcement worked together as one team. The effort included the Shannon County Sheriff, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the U.S. National Park Service, the Prosecuting Attorney's Office of Shannon County, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri. The State Highway Patrol even flew helicopter missions in search of the missing wild horses. Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson and I helped set up a bounty for information leading to the arrest of suspects. After months of careful police work, including ballistics tests of bullets recovered at the scene of the crime, charges were filed against the suspected killer of these horses. The arrest of the suspected killer is a triumph of citizen participation in a law enforcement case involving local, state and federal officials. The entire community came together to right a terrible wrong. The story of the wild horses sends a powerful message that our state will not tolerate cruelty to animals. These wild horses are living symbols of Missouri's national heritage, and they deserve our protection. As long as they are protected and continue to run free, a part of Missouri's past lives on. It will be reassuring to all of us when this tragic incident is brought to a close with appropriate punishment. But we must remain vigilant. The horses will need our continued protection. The shootings last fall were not the first time the herd's very existence has been threatened. In 1990, against the wishes of Missourians, the U.S. National Park Service threatened to round up the entire herd for relocation and slaughter. Concerned citizens banded together to form the Missouri Wild Horse League, an organization dedicated to the horses' protection. Their battle slogan: "Wild and Free; Let �em be.'" In support of this outpouring of support for the horses, the late Congressman Bill Emerson and I spent years fighting the federal plan. Defying common sense and local sentiment, the Park Service fought the Wild Horse League all the way to the Supreme Court. We finally had to push legislation through Congress in 1996 to protect the herd. The law allows the horses to continue to roam free under the care and management of the Missouri Wild Horse League. It also requires that the U.S. Park Service protect the herd. The cooperation between local citizens, members of Congress and law enforcement is a text-book example of how government is supposed to represent the wishes of the people and enforce the law. Some say that the plight of the wild horses brought people together like never before. It is really a story about how we protect something deep in ourselves when we care for the environment. For our children and their children, we must ensure these wild horses remain free � living symbols of our own freedom. |
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