Sickly newborn foal found alone on NC beach. ‘Little guy is still hanging on’
.jpeg "A sickly wild colt is showing subtle signs of improvement after he was found all alone on a North Carolina beach, photos show.")
A sickly newborn foal was found all alone on a beach in North Carolina, officials said.
A concerned visitor to the Cape Lookout National Seashore area spotted the foal “alone, lying down, and appearing lethargic and dehydrated,” the Foundation for Shackleford Horses said in a May 25 post on Facebook. “Dr. Sue (Stuska) asked the visitor if she would be willing to continue to observe the foal, from a safe distance, to see if its harem, and particularly its dam, returned. The visitor kindly agreed.”
Stuska then discussed options with the foundation and contacted the park’s law enforcement. Rangers were already on the beach responding to a report of someone harassing a horse, the organization said.
“It is always our desire that foals in this rare circumstance be reunited with their mother, and most often, the dam is in the vicinity, and does return,” the organization said. “We only want to intervene if absolutely necessary.”
But the mare didn’t return for her foal, the group said.
“Ultimately, with no mare returning to care for the foal, the Park and the Foundation made the difficult decision to remove the foal from the island,” the organization said.
The foal was taken to park headquarters, where Stuska assessed it and consulted the foundation’s veterinarian.
“The foal was then transported to Institute Mobile Veterinary Services for treatment and hospitalization by our vet, Dr. Kim Ipock,” the organization said.
Ipock determined the colt had been born within the 24 hours beforehand and “had never stood and never nursed” — both of which are crucial to newborn foals’ survival, especially in the wild.
Too much time had passed to give the colt colostrum, a nutrient-dense fluid produced by mother mammals in the days after giving birth to properly nourish their newborns.
“Instead, he was given plasma and IV fluids,” the organization said, adding that Ipock inserted a feeding tube to administer a milk replacement to the foal.
“The good news is that the little guy survived the night,” the organization said.
The colt couldn’t get up on his own that first night, but he did stand up for a few moments without help, the group said.
“The next few days will be critical,” the organization said. “But he is a fighter, and is receiving the best care.”
The organization thanked the “caring visitor who saw something and did something.”
“She definitely saved his life,” the foundation said.
In an update posted the next day, the foundation said the foal was showing signs of improvement — including standing on his own.
“This little guy is still hanging on, slowly gaining strength, along with some weight,” the organization said. “He is receiving nourishment both by bottle and feeding tube. He is standing on his own for longer periods. He is not out of the woods, but we are cautiously encouraged by his progress. He has shown us he is a fighter, and so we are fighting for him.”
Photos show the tiny foal standing up with bandages around his jaw and neck where the feeding tube and IV were inserted.
The organization answered “recurring questions” about the foal in the update.
“1. No, he does not have a name,” the foundation said. “We share the belief that naming him, until he is out of the woods, is bad luck. We also will not decide on a name until his dam is determined, which will likely be done by DNA testing.
“2. No, if he survives he may not return to Shackleford. His mother is undetermined at this time, but for some reason, left him,” the organization said. “He could not survive on the island without his mother, and once he is old enough to no longer nurse, he will already be domesticated, such that surviving on the island would not be possible.
“3. We have no evidence that human interference caused this foal to be separated from its dam,” the organization said. “There was a call to law enforcement about people surrounding wild horses that same morning, but it was at the other end of the island. We are grateful to whomever reported that, and grateful (law enforcement) responded, because it positioned them to be able to assist this foal to the east.”
Shackleford Banks is a barrier island on the coast of North Carolina, about a 150-mile drive southeast from Raleigh. It is home to the Shackleford wild horse herd, which thefoundation comanages with the National Park Service under the Shackleford Banks Wild Horses Protection Act of 1997.
Any horse removed from the area in the Cape Lookout National Seashore becomes the property of the nonprofit, according to the federal law.
This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 7:32 AM.
