THE ‘DÜLMEN WILD HORSES’ IN THE NATURE RESERVE ‘MERFELDER BRUCH’

The Dülmen wild horses are the last existing free-living herd of horses on the European continent whose natural selection has never been interrupted by man. The horses are first mentioned in a document of 1316. Approximately 350 horses live on 400 hectares. The horses are born into family ties and stay within them until they die a natural death, just as every wild living animal. The interference of humans is avoided so as not to influence this genetic pool negatively. The aim is to preserve the species and not resort to selective horse breeding.

For ethologist this nature reserve is a goldmine, as today there are extremely few places where one can observe a herd of horses living in intact social structures. Furthermore, in recent decades many scientific discoveries have been made with regard to the nature and the needs of horses. These results have had an important influence on questions relating to animal protection.

For the past 101 years a round-up of the horses takes place on the last Saturday in May. Only the yearling stallions are caught out of the herd and then sold by auction. This is a necessity, as the social pressure among the stallions would be too great owing to lack of space. Up to 20,000 people from all over Europe come to watch this event.

Man has interfered extensively with nature and by doing so has greatly reduced the habitat of wild animals to secure his own existence. The consequence of this is a landscape that has been adapted to our needs and from which wild-living animals have had to escape.

There is one important point that differentiates the human being from all other forms of life and this is the ability to achieve knowledge. This provides us with the capability to distinguish between good and evil. As humans, it is our responsibility to use our knowledge in the interest of other humans, animals and the environment in which we live. The preservation of creation should be of greatest importance to us, as it honours the Lord, for whom we thank for everything.

It is this awareness of his responsibility that in 1845 led my great-great-great grandfather, Duke Alfred of Croÿ, to give the Dülmen wild horses a reservation and save them from extinction. By doing so, he created a unique natural habitat of unrivalled beauty. This same motivation commits my family in the struggle to preserve these horses beyond the turmoil of our time for future generations. In order to be able to do so today, and in the future, we are in need of the goodwill and support of the society we live in.