Wild Horses In North Carolina’s Outer Banks Survive Hurricane Florence


While people are still wading through the water in coastal North Carolina, the wild horses of the Outer Banks are said to be safely grazing in a business as usual fashion. Caretakers say they haven’t returned to the beaches, but all seems to be fine and the identified horses are accounted for.

Hurricane Florence is now a tropical storm as it makes its way across the land, but the wild horses are close to being back to a normal routine says the Daily Mail. The hurricane has claimed thirteen people at last count, but even the pony pens were left intact by the category two storm that hit the Outer Banks.

Caretakers said the herd was looking around trying to figure out what all the fuss was about.

“Cape Hatteras National Seashore posted a picture on Saturday showing that all of the ponies on Ocracoke Island were safe.”

The Corolla Wild Horse Fund has been posting updates about how the horses are doing and were most concerned with protecting their horses which are descendants of the Spanish Mustangs which came with the first settlers.

“Here on the northern Outer Banks, we are breathing a sigh of relief today,’ it wrote on Friday. There may still be some coastal flooding over the weekend but nothing worse than a regular storm or nor’easter.”

The photos shared by the Corolla Wild Horse Fund on their Facebook page show beautiful creatures that are blissfully unaware that they dodged a bullet.

“These photos were taken this morning. As you can see, the horses are doing their normal thing – grazing, socializing, and wondering what us crazy humans are all worked up over.”

As previously reported by Inquisitr, Herd Manager Meg Puckett says that the wild horses rely on their natural instincts and wits which have helped the herd survive for over 500 years.

“We do everything that we can to protect them, but in situations like this, these horses have incredible instincts. They’re so resourceful, and they have an incredibly strong will to live.”

Prior to the storm, the horses could be seen on the beach playing on the sand and rolling in the surf. Puckett said that as the storm moved in, the herd sought higher ground as a group.

“We’re already seeing them group up together. They go into the maritime forest, where they get under the cover of the live oak trees that protect them and go to the highest ground.”

Though the area is still at risk of flooding, the horses seem ready to move past it.

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