You are listening to an article from Horse Canada.com. Farewell to three special Corolla Wild Horses By: Kim Izzo.
Employees, supporters and fans of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund (CWHF), the nonprofit organization dedicated to managing the herd of wild horses known as Bankers that roam the Outer Banks of North Carolina, is mourning the loss of three special senior horses.
It started with the loss of Mocha, a mare discovered on October 16 by contractors working on a house who contacted the CWHF. She could no longer stand and was humanely euthanized by a veterinarian. According to a local news agency She was buried in a peaceful place on the banks.
Flint, Ruby and Danny in an older photo. (CWHF Facebook)
The group released further details on his Facebook pageHe wrote: “Mocha was very wild and wild, blind in one eye and tough. She spent most of her life in the swamp and we didn't see her too often. She was the kind of horse whose touch makes you feel guilty even after death, because she would never have wanted that in her life and wouldn't have tolerated it. This morning there was a rainbow right over the spot where Mocha died. We want it to be a thank you for respecting her wildness and letting her live and die with the dignity she deserved, and a reminder to remain hopeful for the future of this herd.”
At the beginning of the post about the loss of Mocha, the author mentioned that the CWHF had been monitoring the venerable stallion Flint as he neared the end of his life. It was decided on October 23rd that he was “more listless” than the week before. The stallion was captured and examined when treating veterinarians and staff discovered that the horse no longer had any functioning teeth and had a severe sinus infection. Flint was believed to be in his slow 30s, perhaps 40s, and everyone involved agreed that the best thing for this magnificent older wild stallion was to let him pass peacefully, and he was euthanized. He was then buried next to it his son Danny.
Raymond was “the salt of the earth.” (CWHF Facebook)
And then the organization had to do the same on October 30th challenging decision about Raymonda beloved wild mule who was in his twenties. According to the CWHF post, Raymond had a tiny scrotal rupture that blocked the affected loops of his tiny intestine, making euthanasia the only choice.
“We believe Raymond was in his slow 20s. He was the offspring of a wild banker mare and a donkey who lived with the herd before domestic livestock regulations were in place. He was actually Raymond Jr. (or maybe even Raymond III) – his father, Donkey, was the original Raymond. He was also known to locals as Jack, Rebel, Burrito and probably a few other nicknames over the years.”
The CWHF has created a memorial wall on its website to honor this unique and beloved horse. “Finding the words that fully summarize Raymond’s extraordinary life and his place in our history is proving quite challenging,” the post on the virtual wall reads. “There will never be another like him and his death is the end of an era. It is the final chapter of a way of life that no longer exists here. He was everything a banker should be – resilient, adaptable, shrewd. He truly was the salt of the earth.”
The fact that all three of these horses were able to live their best lives in the wild, guarded by the caring people who run the CWHF, is something to be grateful for – as is the opportunity to die peacefully and lay to rest will be in the wilderness of their homeland. A post on the group's social media said: “This is what we hope for every wild horse in the herd.”
