CAROVA, N.C. (WAVY) — A wild horse was reportedly struck last week by a pickup traveling at a high speed, witnesses told the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.
The nonprofit Wild Horse Fund, in a Facebook post, said the horse was struck around 9 p.m. July 4 on Ocean Pearl Road, with witnesses telling it the horse fell to the ground but then got up and ran off into the brush, with the driver of the truck not stopping. It said law enforcement was called and deputies responded.
The horse that was reportedly struck was not found that night, but after residents who witnessed the incident gave a description of the horses in the area that night, the Wild Horse Fund was able to narrow down the list of possible victims. By around noon July 5, had found 13 of the stallions that it believed could have been struck, but all of those were fine, with no visible injuries.
Wild Horse Fund staff continued looking for the last two horses on its list, and around 1:30 p.m., it got a call from a witness saying there was a stallion in their yard who they believed could have been involved. It observed the horse moving stiffly and with a swollen shoulder, though the horse was not limping or had any open wounds. They sent photographs of the horse to its veterinarian, and by Monday, they found the last remaining horse and confirmed he was OK.
Having observed all the horses reported to be in that area, “we are relatively confident that the stallion with the swollen shoulder was the horse who had been struck,” and the Wild Horse Fund has been monitoring it this week, saying there has been improvement, with swelling in his shoulder going down, and it is moving and behaving normally, with no indication of internal injuries.
“He was extremely lucky. In the last 10 years, eight horses have been struck by vehicles and he is only the second one to have survived, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund said. “The odds are not in the horses’ favor and it’s highly likely that if you hit a horse, you are going to kill it. Please slow down and drive responsibly.”
It said in most cases, speed and/or alcohol were involved, and said the “disrespectful, dangerous behavior is causing irreparable damage to the herd and putting all other wildlife and people at risk too.”
It notes that it is against the Currituck County ordinance to injure a wild horse and not report it.
“It’s worth noting that the person who hit the horse on the beach a few weeks ago at least had the decency to stop, report the collision, and accept the consequences of their actions,” it said.
Anyone involved in such an incident, or witnesses such an incident, is asked to immediately call 252-453-3633 so law enforcement can be dispatched and the Corolla Wild Horse Fund notified.
Anyone with information on the July 4 incident is asked to call the Currituck County Sheriff’s Department at 252-453-3633.