COROLLA, N.C. (WAVY) — On Friday, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund in North Carolina announced the death of an 8-year-old stallion.

According to a Facebook post, the horse, affectionately known as Taco, is the fourth stallion in the last two years that has died due to bacteria or other contaminants in the water.

“He stood out from the crowd due to a large lump that had been on his hip since he was about two years old. The lump had nothing to do with his death, but most people knew Taco because of it,” they wrote.

Officials have collected water from various locations in Taco’s territory, and will send it out for testing next week. They hope that this will reveal the quality of the water and presence of contaminants such E.coli and salmonella.

“Every single loss is a tragedy when you have such a small population to begin with, but some hit a bit harder than others. Taco had such a big personality,” they wrote.

For more information, visit the organization’s Facebook page.