The Corolla horses, residing on the Currituck Outer Banks, will rely on their instincts to weather Hurricane Florence. | Photo: iStock

While state and local officials order the mandatory evacuation of residents and tourists in Currituck County, North Carolina, the Corolla wild horses, residing on the Currituck Outer Banks, will rely on their instincts to weather Hurricane Florence.

“They know where to go to stay high and dry and are probably in better shape right now than most of us humans who are scrambling with final preparations,” the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, which manages the herd, said in a written statement. “They are much better off without any help from us; anything we might do in the hopes of ‘protecting’ them would probably end up being more dangerous and stressful for them than the storm.”

Meanwhile, 18 horses removed from the wild and currently residing at the Corolla Fund’s farm in Grandy, North Carolina, will be sheltered in place. The decision not to evacuate is the safest option for the horses, which are newly acclimated to human handling, not to stall confinement, and unaccustomed to trailering, the Fund said