CURRITUCK, N.C. (WAVY) — Corolla Wild Horse Fund recently had an incident where a distressed foal separated from his mother and landed in a potentially dangerous situation.
On Friday afternoon, officials with the horse sanctuary and law enforcement responded to a call about a distraught foal. The foal, Sebastian, was separated from his mom by a fence that he could not jump over. He was surrounded by guests and onlookers and became panicked.
Ultimately, the two were reunited safely but the team at the sanctuary said that it could have ended a lot worse and they are urging visitors to give the horses adequate space.
The team offered some tips for guests when they visit the area.
- Give all the horses, especially the families with foals, plenty of space.
- Do not hover around foals.
- Take your photo and move on.
- The minimum distance of 50 feet must be maintained but foals need even more distance.
“We all love foals! They are cute, and fun to watch, and most importantly, the future of the Corolla herd. Unfortunately, they also attract a lot of attention that can quickly become very unsafe,” officials with Corolla Wild Horse Fund said.
“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,” they continued.
“Based on the behavior we’ve been observing lately, this is probably not an isolated incident and we are just very lucky that someone (horse or human) hasn’t been hurt.”
Anyone who witnesses a foal being crowded should call the Currituck non-emergency number at 252-232-2216. They will send a deputy as well as call the Herd Manager.
More information can be found online at corollawildhorses.com.