Wild horse foal in ‘extreme distress’ transported from coast to N.C. State for treatment

BEAUFORT, N.C. (WNCN) — A wild horse foal “exhibiting signs of extreme distress” was transported from the North Carolina coast to N.C. State’s College of Veterinary Medicine on Monday.

According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the five-day old wild horse is a resident of the Rachel Carson Reserve in Carteret County. The female foal was observed and examined by NCDEQ Division of Coastal Management’s Coastal Reserve site manager Paula Gillikin, who then consulted with the Reserve’s local horse veterinarian. The decision was then made to move the horse “for further examination and treatment.”

The foal was taken to N.C. State, where testing and analysis are ongoing at the College of Veterinary Medicine to determine the causes of distress. The wild horse is also being given emergency care, and other treatment options are being considered.

The Division of Coastal Management said employees of Cape Lookout National Seashore and the Town of Beaufort Police Department also helped with the assessment and transportation of the foal.

Rachel Carson Reserve, which spans across several islands just across Taylor Creek from Beaufort’s historic downtown, has been home to a herd of wild horses for several decades. According to the Division of Coastal Management, the herd is monitored by staff and volunteers “with minimal management to maintain the wildness of the herd.”

“The Division intervened in this case because of the extreme signs of distress and the very young age of the foal,” the NCDEQ said in a release.

Visitors to areas with wild horses are asked to stay 50 feet or more away to protect the animals.

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