News Release

Shackleford Banks Horses 2019 Annual Findings Report Released

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NPS Photo/Crystal Wasley

News Release Date: April 17, 2020

Contact: BG Horvat, 252-838-8906

Harkers Island, NC – The annual findings report on the Shackleford Banks horses has been released by Cape Lookout National Seashore and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses. This report, covering the calendar year 2019, is available on the park’s website at: https://go.nps.gov/horsereports

Highlights from the report include:

• At the end of 2019 there were 111 horses on Shackleford Banks.

• The herd is 62% female and 38% male. Of the horses over 20 years of age, there are only 2 males, but there are 15 females.

• The oldest living horses on the island are two 26-year old mares.

• Herd mortality was 12% with 14 deaths. Mortality still averages 6%.

Cape Lookout National Seashore and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses, Inc., emphasize that the most important factor in protecting the wild horses on Shackleford is public education. As a result, they have increased efforts to inform the public how best to watch the horses without interacting with them or interrupting their natural behavior, and those messages are regularly communicated in the media and through programs like the Park’s “Horse Sense and Survival” tours.

The park now also offers visitors an opportunity to learn more about the wild horses by taking part in the Junior Ranger Wild Horse Protector activity. Designed for kids in grades 6^th through 8^th, a parent, guardian, or youth leader may check out a backpack with instruments needed to complete activities like those done by the wild horse Biologist. Upon completion, students receive an award and are certified as Wild Horse Protectors.