After years of efforts to reduce Corolla's wild horse herd, it might be time to rebuild it again.
Research by Texas A&M University shows wild horses on the Currituck Outer Banks have low genetic diversity, a condition caused by breeding within a small population, which could lead to defects.
"It was what we expected," said Karen McCalpin, director of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.
A herd of at least 110 would encourage long-term health, she said. But federal officials are concerned that too large a herd would damage the habitat at Currituck National Wildlife Refuge.
"There's certainly evidence of impact," said refuge manager Mike Hoff.
Native wild animals and plants have priority at the refuge.
The horses are descendants of Spanish mustangs that arrived about 400 years ago with explorers, according to historical accounts.
Officials with Currituck County, the refuge and the wild horse fund worked out a management plan in 1999 that set a limit of 60 horses.
Refuge officials are considering whether to raise the limit, Hoff said.
The refuge makes up a large portion of the horses' grazing grounds in the four-wheel-drive area. McCalpin hopes to buy private land to set aside for the horses.
The seabeach amaranth, a threatened plant known to have grown in the refuge, has not been seen in years, Hoff said. Horses may have grazed on the plant, which is high in iron and has seeds high in protein, he said.
Thanks to a high birth rate and low mortality, the herd grew to more than 100 horses two years ago despite steady efforts to control its numbers. In the past year, an aggressive adoption effort and a birth control program have reduced the herd to 89.
The wild horse fund plans to use grants to hire North Carolina State University to study how many horses the area can handle without damage, McCalpin said.
This summer, graduate students are scheduled to begin to look at the effects of the horses during all seasons and varied weather conditions, she said.
Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com
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Can't
It's all private property except for the space between Corova and Corolla. Honestly, Corolla does not even have the horses; Carova does. The only access to Carova is via highway 12 which is the beach. There is no paved road. I agree they should limit access but I do not see how. Virginia shut off access to the area by closing False Cape, but from the NC end I do not see how it can be done. Also, it is not an island.
Don Tabor: If you switch out the ponies it would not make sense. The point is that they have thrived on their own. If you mix and match other ponies or horses, I'm betting the residents of the beach would want Clydesdales pulling a keg truck.
horses
why doesnt corrolla charge a high fee to get on the beach for the day? Why cant they buy a large piece of land there for these horses instead of building houses soon there will be no land,people also destroy the habitat,theres no reason for people to live on the island,what are they gonna do when a big hurricane washes it out?I've watch corrolla grow and am quite dissapointed it used to be beatiful now its like central park
Wild Horse herds
I don't know, Dr. Tabor. It would depend on which Assateague herd you are talking about.
The VA herd (aka Chincoteague ponies) are a much more viable herd than the MD herd.
Maintaining genetic diversity with low numbers
Has anyone considered capturing some of the horses in Corolla and perhaps Assateague and exchanging members of those herds to maintain diversity while keeping the numbers low to reduce impact in both places?