Hello and Happy Thursday to everyone!

Many of you have asked about the 4-month-old colt Magnum that we talked about at the end of our open letter to Superintendent Richman. 

Another page that documents the horses mentioned that he was euthanized.  Many of you saw that post and asked us what happened, so we reached out to TRNP Chief of Resource Management, Blake McCann, and asked him for a statement.  When he didn’t respond after a week, we asked again. 

Still no response.

The park set up a horse portal a few years ago as a way for the park to communicate with the public.  This portal, they stated, would be a way for all wild horse advocates and organizations to get any updates and information about the TRNP wild horse herd.  Direction for the creation and maintenance of this portal came from NPS Regional Director Herbert Frost. 

The first 4 FAQ answers explain a few key things:

Q1: Will I be able to obtain information (births, deaths, names, etc.) from the park on individual horses?

A1: Though the park has volunteered a wide variety of information on individual horses in the past, maintaining these details is not necessary for population level management, and the park will not be doing so in the future unless it is necessary as part of a research study or management action. In addition, the park will not be providing names for horses in the future, unless they are being adopted out, as naming helps in the adoption process.

Q2: Who can represent the park when speaking about horse management?

A2: Only authorized NPS employees may represent the NPS when speaking about horse management. The Park will use this portal to share horse management information with the public. The Park has no control of non-NPS social media or other web content published by private individuals.

Q3: Does the park still have formal or informal partnerships with horse interest groups?

A3: No.

Q4: Why does the park no longer respond to individual emails about horses?

A4: To ensure that no one is left out of communications, the park now uses the website to maintain a horse communication portal. These FAQs will be regularly updated to provide information about park horse management actions and answer commonly asked questions about horse management at Theodore Roosevelt NP.

By the park’s own words, no other group or organization can speak on behalf of the park.  They do not have ANY partnerships with any organizations or interest groups, and they will not respond to emails about the horses.  I can say that this has also been true for many local reporters who have asked the park questions.  The park has referred them to this website to ask questions as well.   

Now, they don’t always answer questions submitted, which is another problem. 

But remember – Senator Hoeven is calling for transparency from the park.

We submitted a question about Magnum to the portal this morning and suggest that you do the same.  If you scroll down to the bottom of this page, you will see a link to send your question.  We will watch this page daily and update you if we see a response.

Magnum was born to Mare Maiden and Stallion Sidekick on or around March 31, 2024.  He was the second of 8 foals born to this herd this year.

The park has a policy to not interfere with wildlife in the park.  We believe if they chose to euthanize Magnum, they probably did it for humane reasons.  We are simply asking for transparency on why this happened and that they follow the protocols they set up to share information with the public. 

Lastly, there are people who believe that asking for transparency from the park is “harassment”.  They are entitled to their opinion.  For comparison, I can say that I have spoken with several other Chief of Resource Management personnel at other national parks.  They are always willing to speak with me, or anyone from the public, and are willing to answer questions.  Once again, if that can happen in other national parks, there is no reason why it can’t also happen in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. 

Thank you for your support!

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