Wild horses roaming through nature to return biodiversity to an area – it sounds like the kind of thing they might do in the Pampas. Or on the plains of Outer-Mongolia. Or a reservation area in Wyoming.

But not Denmark: surely, the moment they pick up a canter they’ll run out of wildlife and end up in a wheat field or a windfarm.

For a while, a scheme was alive and kicking in Rudersdal Municipality in north Zealand. Horses roamed freely, and the biodiversity improved a notch.

But now the dream is over. One of the horses, an Exmoor pony, was discovered dead in Maglemosen. And criticism via social media persuaded Rudersdal Municipality to drop the project.

A lot of controversy
A vet ruled that the pony’s death was an accident. Possible causes include sudden cardiac death, injuries sustained in a fight with other horses, or intestinal obstruction.

However, that wasn’t good enough for certain online animal rights’ groups, who have waged a war against the municipality and Krat & Co, the company responsible for the horses.

Krat & Co has now decided to completely drop its nature projects due to the criticism from animal-lovers, which has included negative online comments and emails tantamount to harassment.

“We stop because we are pressured to make decisions that go against the well-being of the animals,” said its chief executive, Marie Gravesen.

“There has been a lot of controversy back and forth about the conditions for these horses,” lamented Court Møller, the climate and environment committee chair at Rudersdal Municipality, to DR.