‘Frightened’ wild horse was being stalked by drone on NC’s Outer Banks, photos show
Outrage continues to grow after a drone was reported stalking a terrified wild mustang on North Carolina’s northern Outer Banks.
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The Corolla Wild Horse Fund shared photos June 29 on Facebook, noting the incident was illegal, dangerous and cruel.
“Last week, a tour guide noticed a horse acting frightened of something, and when he stopped to get a better look he noticed a drone flying very close to the horse,” the fund wrote on Facebook.
“The wild horses are extremely desensitized to most things. … But there is one thing that almost always seems to make them nervous and uncomfortable – drones. The movement is fast and erratic, drones can appear out of nowhere in places the horses are not used to being disturbed, and they make a buzzing noise that the horses really dislike.”
It’s unclear how the drone encounter ended, but no injuries were reported.
To the wild horses, drones resemble “a predator chasing them,” experts say. The horses react in unpredictable ways, and that can lead to foals being separated from their mothers, the fund says.
County ordinances require humans to stay 50 feet from the horses, and that includes “chasing the horses with a drone … and/or disrupting their natural behavior,” according to Corolla Herd Manager Meg Puckett.
“The horse in these photos was very close to a swath of federally protected land that is some of the last acreage on the northern Outer Banks still largely untouched by humans. It is one of the places left for the horses to go where they are unlikely to be disturbed by people,” Puckett said.
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“They deserve the solitude and safety this area provides them; a place for them to be truly wild and free. Mares use this land as a nursery, stallions retreat there to recover from injuries caused by fighting, and old horses go deep into the marsh to lay themselves to rest. It is a sacred circle of life that has been taking place here for hundreds of years.”
The fund’s June 29 Facebook post had amassed nearly 8,000 comments and reactions as of July 2, with many suggesting drones be banned on the island excepted when needed by law enforcement.
“These horses are a national treasure and should be treated as such,” Thomas Fenske wrote.
“It is unimaginable that anyone not realize the negative impact this would have on the horses’ wellbeing … or maybe they do, and just don’t care,” Patty Farber-Schirman said.
The Corolla Wild Horse Fund is a nonprofit that protects and manages the herd of about 115 horses with help of donations.
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Corolla is about a 230-mile drive northeast from downtown Raleigh.
