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25-year-old wild horse found dead near ferry access at Outer Banks park, officials say

Another of the wild horses roaming North Carolina’s barrier islands has died, this time at Cape Lookout National Seashore.

The National Park Service reports a 25-year-old mare died “recently” on the Shackleford Banks, an island at the southern tip of the national seashore.

“Due to the location where it died being closer to a ferry access point, it may be more visible to visitors than if it had died elsewhere on the island,” park officials told McClatchy News.

“With a population of around 120 horses, it’s not unusual for horses to pass away throughout the year from natural causes. Over the last 20 years we’ve had an annual death rate of around 6%. So, that is about 5-7 horses passing away each year.”

News of the horse’s death comes just over a week after an 11-year-old stallion broke one of its hind legs on Corolla and had to be euthanized. The injury happened while it was fighting another horse, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund reported March 12.

Corolla, at the northern end of the Outer Banks, has a herd of about 100 feral horses.

The state’s wild horses, known as banker horses, often engage in brutal fights, with stallions biting, kicking and butting each other. The brawls are typically over turf and females, experts say.

Such battles occasionally take place in front of tourists, which is why county laws require humans to stay at least 50 feet from the horses.

“They may look placid ... but they are easily startled and can (and do) charge, whirl, and kick in a heartbeat,” the National Park Service says.

“Mares will defend their foals and stallions will defend their mares. They can seriously injure or kill people or dogs with their hooves and teeth.”

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