Crowd of people panics a wild foal separated from its mom on Outer Banks, officials say
A group is pleading with visitors to give the Outer Banks wild horses space after an incident with a foal Friday.
The foal, named Sebastian, got separated from his mother by a fence on Friday afternoon. He was unable to get over to her and was then surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, causing him to panic, according to a Saturday Facebook post from the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.
The fund and law enforcement were called, and Sebastian was reunited with his mother.
But the Corolla Wild Horse Fund warns that things could have gone much differently.
“Someone could have been hurt by the protective parents, the foal could have been stressed to the point of shock, dehydration or heat exhaustion, or he could have been injured as he ran blindly around trying to get back to his mom and away from the crowds,” the Facebook post says.
The fund believes this wasn’t an isolated incident based on the behavior it’s seen recently.
“We are just very lucky that someone (horse or human) hasn’t been hurt,” the post says.
Last month, the group posted a picture on Facebook of a beachgoer touching a wild stallion who was distressed after getting separated from the group of horses he was with, and warned people against doing so.
It’s now pleading again with visitors to respect the wild horses’ space, especially those with foals.
“We all love foals! They are cute, and fun to watch, and most importantly, the future of the Corolla herd,” the Facebook post says. “Unfortunately, they also attract a lot of attention that can quickly become very unsafe.”
The herd of wild colonial Spanish mustangs roams freely on the northernmost Currituck Outer Banks, and while the horse fund staff and county law enforcement watch them as closely as possible, all 7,500 acres where they’re found can’t be monitored constantly, the post says.
People should stay at least 50 feet away from the horses and even farther away from foals, the post says. Onlookers should not “hover” around foals.
“Take your photo and move on,” the post says.
