NORTH CAROLINA’s coastal HORSE advocates ponder future of WILD HERDS ~ CALIFORNIA resident rescues DOG from COYOTES ~ NEW HAMPSHIRE WOMAN and DOG bitten by COYOTE ~ RABIES reports from CALIFORNIA, NEW MEXICO, NORTH CAROLINA & SOUTH CAROLINA.

Wild horses of coastal North Carolina. Photo by Tania Gail. Wikimedia Commons.

North Carolina 05/07/12 nytimes.com: by Laura Beil – Come summer, the beaches of this barrier island will be choked with cars and sunbathers, but in the off-season the land is left to wild horses. Smallish, tending toward chestnut and black, they wander past deserted vacation rentals in harems of five or six. Thousands of them once roamed the length of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the likely descendants from mounts that belonged to Spanish explorers five centuries ago. Now their numbers have dwindled to a few hundred, the best known living on federal parkland at Shackleford Banks. But the largest herd, which has recently grown to almost 140 strong, occupies more than 7,500 acres of narrow land that stretches from the end of Highway 12 in Corolla (pronounced cor-AH-la) to the Virginia border, 11 miles north. Lacking natural predators, and trapped by fences that jut into the choppy Atlantic, the herd is becoming so inbred that its advocates fear a genetic collapse in mere generations.

Photo by Joye. Wikimedia Commons.

These supporters are leading a campaign to save the Corolla herd, and they have powerful allies in Congress. In February, the House passed a bill that would sustain the herd at about 120 and allow the importing of new mares from Shackleford for an introduction of fresh genes. Wildlife conservationists say the issue is not so simple. The beaches, marshes, grasslands and forests near Corolla are a stopover for flocks of endangered migratory birds, and nesting ground for sea turtles. Much of the horses’ range belongs to the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, and defenders of the native habitat fear the herd’s current size strains the ecosystem. The future of the horses raises larger questions about whether one animal should be preserved at the expense of others — and who gets to decide. – For complete article see http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/science/wild-horses-fate-in-outer-banks-lies-in-preservation-clash.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

California 05/09/12 Lake Elsinore, Riverside County: Resident saves pet dog pulled through fence and nearly killed by coyotes. – See http://lakeelsinore-wildomar.patch.com/articles/coyote-attack-prompts-lake-elsinore-family-to-speak-out

New Hampshire 05/09/12 Manchester, Hillsborough County: A coyote that bites a woman’s foot, attacks a dog, and jumps on cars remains at large and is hanging out in the vicinity of the Ledgewood retirement community. – See http://www.unionleader.com/article/20120509/NEWS/120509860

California 05/08/12 Watsonville, Santa Cruz County: A sick bat picked up in the 500 block of East Beach Street has tested positive for rabies. – See http://www.mercurynews.com/central-coast/ci_20577393/rabid-bat-found-city-watsonville

New Mexico 05/07/12 Curry County: A skunk that bit two unvaccinated dogs southeast of Clovis on County Road E has tested positive for rabies. One adult dog and four puppies had to be euthanized. – See http://cnjonline.com/news/story-608963.html

North Carolina 05/08/12 Wilmington, New Hanover County: Two raccoons, one in a downtown business establishment on Market Street, and another that fought with a dog in the Shorewood Hills Drive area, have both tested positive for rabies. – See http://myrtlegrove.wect.com/news/health/55717-raccoons-test-positive-rabies-dog-quarantine-6-months

South Carolina 05/08/12 Edgefield County: A dead fox found in the county has tested positive for rabies. – See http://www.aikenstandard.com/story/050812-Local-News-in-Brief–3984939