Sable Island is a 41-kilometre stretch of sand located approximately 290 kilometres Southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is home to many species of animals and plants, including between 150 and 400 wild horses, which were introduced sometime shortly after 1738. The Island is also home to many birds, including small numbers of the threatened Roseate Tern, and is the only breeding ground of the rare Ipswich Sparrow. Also living on Sable Island is the largest congregation of breeding Grey Seals and a small resident population of Harbour Seals.

There has been a continuous human presence on Sable Island since 1801 when the colonial government in Nova Scotia founded a lifesaving establishment in an effort to reduce the suffering and loss of life and cargo that resulted from the frequent shipwrecks on and near Sable’s shores.