Wild stallion killed by vehicle driving on dark Outer Banks beach, NC officials say
A wild horse was killed after being hit by an off-road vehicle on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, and it turns out it’s the same stallion that made news for being comically annoying to other horses.
Bullwinkle, as he was known, suffered traumatic injuries when he was hit by a utility terrain vehicle on a Corolla beach around midnight on Friday, July 26, according to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund. Corolla is at the northern end of the Outer Banks.
“The incident was witnessed and reported by a visitor who had been surf fishing at the time. No other horses were injured. The driver of the vehicle was arrested,” the fund reported in a July 29 news release.
“Bullwinkle’s injuries were severe and ultimately fatal. Our veterinarian arrived on the scene early Saturday morning to humanely euthanize him.”
The UTV driver was identified as a 57-year-old man from Chesapeake, Virginia, and he left the crash scene on foot, the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office said in a July 29 Facebook post.
“During the process of towing the vehicle, (the driver) was noticed and fled the scene again. A deputy initiated a foot pursuit and (the suspect) was caught,” officials said.
He was charged with resisting arrest and a woman was charged with resisting arrest and providing false information to law enforcement, officials said.
Details of what caused the collision were not released.
The force of the impact was such that 10-year-old Bullwinkle suffered multiple severe injuries, including a broken right hind leg and “significant internal trauma.”
Driving off-road vehicles is permitted on some Corolla beaches, but with a strict 35-mph speed limit that drops to 15 mph when people are within 300 feet, officials say.
Bullwinkle became a newsmaker the day before he died, when the Corolla Wild Horse Fund posted video on social media of him boldly challenging a bigger stallion for a mare. That video has been viewed tens of thousands of times and gotten thousands of comments and reactions.
The feud had been going on for weeks, and stubborn Bullwinkle was still trailing the bigger stallion when he was killed, the fund reported.
“He was in the prime of his life, and went from being a symbol of what it means to be wild and free to a tragic example of how irresponsible, reckless human behavior can cause pain, suffering, and irreparable damage,” herd manager Meg Puckett wrote on Facebook.
“Bullwinkle died as wild as he lived; at no point did he welcome our intervention and he remained wary and defensive even as he laid on the dune unable to stand anymore. The fight drive that he was always known for never left him, right up to the end. He was exactly what a wild Banker stallion is supposed to be, and we are glad that he at least never had to leave the beach — he was never meant to.”
He was buried at the edge of a meadow that was central to his ongoing feud with the larger stallion. Battles over females are an intricate part of herd dynamics and guarantee only the strongest DNA is passed from generation to generation.
The herd on Corolla has about 100 horses, also known as bankers, and Bullwinkle never got to pass on his DNA via foals, the fund reports. That hurts the herd in the long run, officials said.
“His genetics are gone from the herd forever and with such a small, endangered population the ramifications of that will last for generations,” Puckett said.
“There is not much comfort that can be found in anything about this tragic incident, but we are at least grateful that we could help him pass without further suffering and provide him with the respectful and dignified burial he deserved.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2024 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Wild stallion killed by vehicle driving on dark Outer Banks beach, NC officials say."