Outer Banks wild stallion hit and killed on beach

A wild stallion that made headlines last week for his dramatic fights with a younger horse was fatally struck by a vehicle on the northern beaches of the Outer Banks on Friday evening.

Authorities received a call at 11:30 p.m. from a visitor who was surf fishing and observed a side-by-side all-terrain vehicle strike a horse standing on the beach near mile marker 20, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund said in a social media post.

The driver fled the scene, but passersby provided a detailed description and the UTV license plate was traced to 57-year-old Porter Williamson of Chesapeake, said Jeff Walker, chief deputy of the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office.

While towing the UTV, officers saw Williamson return to the scene, but he fled again and was caught after a short foot chase, Walker said. Williamson was charged with resisting, delaying or hindering prosecution and was jailed on $10,000 bail. Officers also charged his wife, Rhonda Williamson, with “providing false information to law enforcement,” Walker said. She was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Bullwinkle, a 10-year-old stallion, suffered skin trauma, a fracture of the right hind leg with a fracture of the lower femur, trauma to the left hind leg and internal injuries from the force of the impact, the CWHF said.

“Bullwinkle’s injuries were severe and ultimately fatal. Our veterinarian arrived on scene early Saturday morning to humanely euthanize him,” said the CWHF, which manages the herd of about 100 wild mustangs that roam the northernmost beaches and marshes of the Outer Banks.

Last week, the CWHF released a video of Bullwinkle battling with another, younger stallion who had been vying for Bullwinkle’s mares for several weeks.

“He was in the prime of his life and went from being a symbol of what it means to be wild and free to a tragic example of how irresponsible, reckless human behavior can inflict pain, suffering and irreparable harm on the herd in an instant,” the horse fund wrote. “Bullwinkle will never father foals. His genes are gone from the herd forever and with such a small, vulnerable population, the consequences will last for generations.”

Meg Puckett, herd manager for the Wild Horse Fund, said Bullwinkle died the way he lived: wild.

“At no point did he welcome our intervention and he remained cautious and defensive even when he was lying on the dune and unable to stand,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “The fighting spirit he was always known for never left him until the end. He was exactly what a wild banker stallion is supposed to be and we are glad that at least he never had to leave the beach – that was never intended.”

Bullwinkle was buried this weekend at the edge of the meadow where he was filmed fighting for his mares last week.

Originally published: July 29, 2024 at 11:51 am