A study of wild horses and the environment on Sable Island is ongoing.
A team of Parks Canada and Sable Island Institute representatives are on site for the ‘Fences in the Sand’ project, which began last year.
Dan Kehler with Parks Canada says a series of fences have been installed on nine small areas of Sable Island.
He says it’s to keep the horses away and see how their presence affects things like erosion of dunes, freshwater ponds and plants.
“We’re looking at the relationship between the horses and some of the really neat species that live on the island, particularly some that are species at risk like insects and birds,” says Kehler.
Kehler says there are over 550 wild horses on the island.
“The people that come here are so impressed by how big the dunes are, and for me, it’s going to be interesting to see the results of the study. I think there will be a neat story to tell here.”
The five-year project is funded by the federal government.
