Terrified newborn wild foal found trapped in Outer Banks canal, NC rescuers say (2025)

A newborn wild foal was left in a terrifying predicament when she became stuck in one of the canals that crisscross North Carolina’s Outer Banks near Carova, rescuers say.

The discovery was made around 8 a.m. Sunday, May 18, when a passerby spotted the tiny horse standing alone in neck-deep water along a canal bulkhead. It appeared to be cowering under a ladder, photos show.

“She either fell in or she was crossing with her family and just got accidentally left behind and then didn’t know how to get out,” according to Meg Puckett, herd manager for the nonprofit Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

“They can swim just a few hours after birth so that’s not an issue even if the water is deep but the bulkheads are definitely dangerous in cases like this. Luckily, she was in a spot where she could stand and keep her head above water.”

There are about 100 horses in the wild herd and the older ones have learned where to easily exit the canals, but the newborn had no idea what to do, Puckett said.

That made the situation potentially deadly.

“If no one had seen her, she would have become dehydrated and even more exhausted and probably would have eventually died,” Puckett said.

“I doubt she would have found her way out without help. So it was definitely an emergency and time was of the essence. I’m not sure how long she’d been in the water when she was spotted.”

Finding the foal’s mother proved easy, as someone else reported seeing “a very distressed mare” standing in the same area, Puckett said.

A rescue team was quickly mobilized and entered the canal to guide the foal out. She was then taken by truck to her mother’s location, Puckett said.

“She is nursing and behaving normally (though understandably exhausted) and we will of course keep a very close eye on her over the next couple of days. Hopefully all’s well that ends well,” Puckett said.

The foal was born sometime between May 14 and May 17, and appeared to be in good health before the incident, officials said. It’s common for wild mares to disappear into the maritime forest to give birth, then emerge days later with their foal, experts say.

The Corolla Wild Horse Fund uses donations to tend the wild herd, including protection, medical needs and occasional rescues.

Carova is about a 240-mile drive northeast from Raleigh at the northern end of the Outer Banks. It is home to one of several wild mustang herds that came to the Outer Banks aboard Spanish ships in the 1500s, historians say. Among the herds is one farther south on an isolated island within Cape Lookout National Seashore.