COROLLA, N.C. (AP) - A wild horse belonging to a herd on North Carolina’s Outer Banks was euthanized over the weekend following complications from a venomous snake bite, according to a nonprofit that takes care of the horses.
The young horse named Valor was euthanized Saturday after veterinarians determined her wounds were too critical, The Corolla Wild Horse Fund announced in a statement Monday.
“We were advised that surgery would be difficult with a poor chance for success,” the organization said, adding that “the outlook for her having a comfortable life was very, very poor.”
Officials said the bite was found on one Valor’s front legs May 17 and had become infected. Caretakers discovered the wounded mare after a caller reported the horse had been standing in the same spot for a day.
Valor, a filly, was born on Memorial Day in 2018 and was just two days away from her second birthday, according to the post. She was one of nearly 100 horses that roam the barrier islands off of North Carolina’s coast.
Officials did not say what type of snake was thought to have bitten the animal, but copperheads and rattlesnakes have been found on the Outer Banks, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.