The Corolla Wild Horse Fund, caretakers of the wild mustang herd living on the northern Outer Banks, said Sunday they’ve found the stallion struck by a car on the beach Friday night and he appears to be fine.
“No visible wounds and behaving normally,” the fund said in a Sunday Facebook post. “We will continue to keep a very close eye on him in case there’s anything going on internally, but for now we are so very relieved to see him.”
The incident happened about 9 p.m., and while the vehicle involved sustained significant damage, the horse ran off, the CWHF said. The driver did stop and called in the accident. Authorities determined the driver wasn’t speeding and couldn’t have avoided the collision.
Staff, volunteers and Currituck County Sheriff’s deputies searched for the horse late Friday night, but couldn’t find him in the dark. The search continued through the weekend.
“We must say a huge thank you to our community. If it weren’t for everyone coming together to look for the horse, allowing us access to their property, and letting us know where he was last seen, we may not have located him as quickly as we did,” the fund said.
Caretakers are pleading with everyone who travels the beach to slow down and use extreme caution.
“The horses are incredibly difficult to see in the dark and they do frequent the beach at night,” the fund said.
Last June, a mustang was struck and killed by a vehicle in the four-wheel drive area. Her stallion stayed over her body through the night, even after she was covered by a tarp.
The CWHF manages a herd of about 100 Colonial Spanish mustangs roaming the beaches and dunes of the northern Outer Banks and a rescue farm of about 17 horses.
