East Coast Island Ponies Survive Hurricane Irene

Horse lovers breathed a sigh of relief as news of America's feral island pony population appears to have been spared major fatalities from Hurricane Irene. North Carolina's Corolla Wild Horse Fund reported that all 100 Banker Island ponies on Corolla Island survived, despite the Outer Banks being directly in Irene's path. A head count has not been finished for the 100 ponies living on the island of Shackleford, but 72% of the ponies have so far been accounted for.

The island of Chincoteague sustained over $100,000 worth of damage, but the feral pony herds living on the neighboring island of Assateague seems to have survived, although a final head count has not been done. The island of Chincoteague was under mandatory evacuation but there was no way to evacuate the ponies or any wildlife on Assateague.

Just Another Day on the Islands

People seem to stress out about hurricanes more than ponies do, notes Carl Zimmerman of the Assateague Island National Seashore. Ponies instinctively headed for higher ground during Irene's approach. All gates on the island were opened so the ponies and other wildlife like deer could move at will.

One day before Irene struck, the manager for the Corolla Wild Horse Fund predicted that a high percentage of the adult ponies would survive because older animals teach the younger ones how to deal with hurricanes and other major storms. The oldest mares head for a ridge of dunes and turn their backs to the wind.

Aftermath

There was a four-legged surprise on Shackleford Island for the pony-counters on August 31 - a newborn colt foal, now named Aftermath. All ponies found on Shackleford so far look healthy.

Due to federal regulations, feral pony herds can be removed from islands but cannot be returned. When Irene was downgraded to a Cat 2 hurricane, the caretakers of the North Carolina ponies decided not to evacuate the herds. The stress of moving can cause ponies to panic and possibly die from injuries, colic or shipping fever.

The Assateague pony herds - one in Virginia and one in Maryland - have endured storms and hurricanes for centuries. The wild ponies are a major tourist draw to the area. One storm did devastate the wild herds - the Ash Wednesday storm of 1962. About 300 ponies now live on Assateague.

References

The Horse. "Feral Coastal Ponies Weather Irene." Pat Raia. August 30, 2011. http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=18748&src=LN

The Horse. "Ponies Will Survive Irene, Refuge Manager Says." August 26, 2011. Pat Raia. http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=18736&src=EM

Delmarvanow.com. "Shore spared brunt of Irene." August 31, 2011. http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110831/ESN01/108310307

NBC 17. "More than 70 percent of Shackleford horses accounted for following Irene." August 31, 2011. http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/aug/31/more-70-percent-shackleford-horses-accounted-follo-ar-1347787/