Outer Banks wild horse euthanized after likely hit-and-run

Caretakers are calling the death of a young wild stallion who was likely hit by a vehicle on the northern Outer Banks “a devastating loss for the herd.”

On Sunday morning, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund — which manages the wild mustangs roaming the northern Outer Banks — received a call about a horse that hadn’t moved in some time and was not bearing weight on his front left leg.

Caretakers arrived to find 9-year-old stallion Thicket unwilling to move. Staff members also noticed pieces of a vehicle on the road next to the horse, including shards of plastic from a turn signal and pieces of a plastic fender.

“We immediately sent photos and video to our vet, and then reached out to the sheriff’s department,” Meg Puckett, herd manager for the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, wrote in a social media post. Deputies canvassed the neighborhood, but found none of the houses had security cameras and no one witnessed anything the night before, Puckett said.

As deputies investigated, caretakers made the decision to capture Thicket and take him back to the rescue farm on the Currituck mainland to assess his injuries.

“Today, X-rays confirmed our fear that Thicket had badly fractured his elbow,” Puckett wrote Monday night. “This was consistent with the trauma we suspected, as were multiple, significant lacerations on his shoulder and face. The height and location of these injuries were also consistent with a vehicle impact.”

Caretakers made the difficult decision to euthanize Thicket due to the severity of the injuries and concerns for his quality of life.

“We will probably never know who hit Thicket, or why they didn’t call 911 to report it so that we could have responded sooner,” Puckett wrote. “We hope that it was truly an accident; that it wasn’t due to alcohol or reckless driving. But to be honest, we keep asking ourselves what kind of person could hurt a horse that badly and then just leave them there to suffer?”

Last year, Thicket had obtained a harem of four mares and was in the prime of his life.

“We were so proud of him, and excited about the prospect of new foals. It’s a devastating loss for the herd, and heartbreaking for those of us who have watched Thicket grow up,” Puckett wrote.

Thicket’s death should serve as a reminder that it’s up to everyone to help protect the herd of about 100 wild horses that have roamed the Outer Banks for centuries, caretakers said.

“Your actions have consequences that are more far-reaching than you’ve probably ever imagined. How many future generations of Banker horses died with Thicket today? We can’t afford to lose a single member of this endangered herd due to human irresponsibility,” Puckett wrote. “Please slow down. Please do not feed or pet the horses. Please call 911 immediately if you witness horses in danger or distress.”

Thicket’s death is the second incident this month involving wildlife being struck on the four-wheel drive beaches in Currituck County. On July 9, deputies received a call about an injured turtle and discovered a loggerhead with crush injuries to her shell. She was taken to the STAR Center sea turtle hospital at the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island, but her injuries were so severe, she had to be euthanized. Volunteers on the scene were able to find her freshly-dug nest and protect more than 100 incubating eggs. Authorities are still looking for the driver.

Kari Pugh, kari.pugh@virginiamedia.com