I was extremely distressed to read the story about wild horses at Mesa Verde National Park (Herald, March 25). What right does the National Park Service have to unilaterally classify the wild horses within park boundaries as “trespass” horses, so as to exclude them from protection under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burro Act of 1971? It is clear to me, after reading the story, that finding a buyer for the approximately 350 horses already rounded up by the rancher working for the Ute Mountain Utes means only one thing: These beautiful wild animals are going to a slaughterhouse. This is exactly what the act was intended to prevent. This is a very sad story, indeed.
Carol Cure
Durango
