3 horses struck by vehicles on Assateague this summer
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Three horses have been struck by vehicles on Assateague Island this summer; two of them have died, including a beloved mare last week.
Advocates are demanding action to protect the wild ponies and slow down drivers.
The filly Miracle was struck by a car in July and survived.
Dune Dancer Jolt was killed earlier this month, less than two weeks before the death of Susi Solé.
Remembering “Queen Susi”
Assateague Island is one of Maryland’s treasures and is famous for the wild horses who call it home.
The summer season has drawn an influx of visitors—and with them, tragedy.
A driver struck and killed beloved mare Susi Solé on Bayberry Drive last Thursday evening.
She was one of two horses killed by vehicles in less than two weeks.
“Susi was my heart, so it’s been a rough couple of days for myself and a lot of the regulars,” said Tina Becker.
Becker started coming to Assateague Island almost a decade ago. She calls Susi her very favorite.
She is heartbroken over the tragedy and says more must be done to protect these wild creatures.
Becker wore a diamond crown pin on her shirt to remember the “queen” that was Suze Solé.
She called her the “heart and soul” of Assateague.
“Susi took care of her own with passion, and she is going to be missed. This island will never be the same,” Becker told WJZ. “She was one of the island’s matriarchs and royalty.”
Susi gave birth in late April. Her colt is now being cared for to ensure his survival.
Video obtained by WJZ showed him being transported off the island into the care of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.
The fire company posted on Facebook, “From first indications, he is eating and drinking very well; he talks to a few of our buyback mares and foals through the fence but is not panicking or calling out, which is a great prognosis for his survival. He is very weanable for a wild pony foal at his age and should have zero problems adjusting to life on his own.”
Chincoteague Fire Company announced they have decided to raise the foal and named him “Wesley Bloxom Stallion” after one of their Saltwater Cowboys who performed numerous relocations of ponies from the Maryland side.
“If you only knew Susi, she was the best mom on the island. She loved her children. She kept her children very close to her. She was one of the only mothers who allowed her children to stay with her,” Becker said.
Slowing down traffic
Savannah Miller’s petition on change.org has garnered almost two thousand signatures and calls for the speed limit to be reduced on Assateague to 15 mph from 25 mph.
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