{"id":18552,"date":"2021-10-27T10:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T14:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=18552"},"modified":"2024-06-14T10:26:28","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T14:26:28","slug":"changing-tourism-in-the-outer-banks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/2021\/10\/changing-tourism-in-the-outer-banks\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing Tides: Reimagining Tourism in the Outer Banks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Danny was clearly injured. The horse, though wild, was only a year old and rarely strayed from his mother\u2019s side as they roamed the beaches of North Carolina\u2019s Outer Banks. But on a quiet June morning last year, Meg Puckett received a series of text messages with photos and videos showing the young horse alone and thrashing around in the shadow of a rental home just off Swan Beach near the town of Corolla. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was obvious that something was very wrong with Danny,\u201d Puckett said. \u201cI just knew that I needed to get to him.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puckett, who is herd manager for the Corolla Wild Horse Fund<\/a>, arrived at Swan Beach an hour later to find Danny with swollen eyes, bloodied abrasions across his head, and a baseball-sized lump protruding from within his neck \u2014 the result of an apple lodged in the horse\u2019s esophagus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With guidance from a veterinarian, Puckett administered a sedative to relax Danny\u2019s esophagus and then transported him to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund\u2019s rescue farm for further medical treatment. Unfortunately, despite the effort to save him, Danny died later that day due to a traumatic head injury and internal bleeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Danny stands on a beach near Corolla in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The year-old colt died last year after choking on an apple. Photo provided by Meg Puckett. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to Puckett, it\u2019s likely that tourists fed the apple to Danny, or that he found it in a garbage can near the rental home where his injuries were initially discovered by a pool maintenance worker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDanny was killed by humans who had no regard for the safety of the horses. No regard for the health of the horses. No regard for the laws put in place to protect the horses,\u201d Puckett wrote on the Corolla Wild Horse Fund\u2019s Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currituck County, which encompasses Corolla and other nearby communities, has laws prohibiting people from coming within 50 feet of the horses. There\u2019s also signs posted along the beaches warning people to not feed or pet the horses. However, many visitors continue to disregard these measures, according to Puckett.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/span><\/span>

Explainer: Why You Shouldn’t Feed or Pet Wild Horses<\/h2><\/a>
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Human food is not healthy for wild animals, especially Corolla’s population of wild horses. The horses can not only choke on apples, bananas and other human foods, but they can also experience painful colic as their digestive systems are adapted to sea oats, coastal grasses, acorns, persimmons, and other vegetation found naturally in their habitat. In addition, petting and other interactions with the horses can habituate them to humans, jeopardizing their ability to stay in the wild.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

In late June, nearly a year after Danny\u2019s death, Puckett received a report of a horse thrashing around at Penny\u2019s Hill near Corolla. The horse, named Junior, was choking on food. Fortunately, the horse made a full recovery and now resides at the fund\u2019s rescue farm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Toll of Tourism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The incidents involving Danny and Junior come at a time when Puckett and other locals across the Outer Banks say a pandemic-fueled tourism boom is negatively impacting the region\u2019s economy, quality of life, and natural, cultural and historical resources. <\/p>\n\n\n