Commentary
Ocean City Today May 6, 2022
Page 64
Park’s wild horses aren’t your friends Even though the subject begs to be made fun of, the aggressive horse problem just dealt with by National Park Service personnel at Assateague Island National Seashore is no joke. Although horses, like other intelligent animals, have personalities and temperaments that can range from tolerant and easy-going to downright nasty and terrifying, it remains that the interaction between any wild creatures and humans rarely works out for the best. In the case of Delegate’s Pride, the stallion shipped off to a preserve in Texas this week because of his aggressive behavior toward people, it’s certain that whatever personality traits he was born with were made more pronounced through his contact with humans. As National Seashore officials said in their statement this week, Delegate’s Pride’s problem was his obsession with and determined pursuit of human food. Add to that a stallion’s territorial nature and instinctive protectiveness of his band of females, and the result is a horse that will inflict injury on humans without hesitation. If only people had stayed out of his way, not attempted to become his “friend,” fed him or left their food unattended, Delegate’s Pride might still be king of his small domain and doing whatever he wanted to do out of harm’s way. But no, human ignorance prevailed and it’s a shame. Visitors to the park need to understand that it is their responsibility to protect the island’s inhabitants by leaving them alone. The signs that say “Horses bite and kick” mean exactly that, as the multiple victims of Delegate’s Pride came to learn the painful way. As attractive and interesting as the park’s horses and other creatures might be, the best thing visitors can do for them, as well as for themselves, is to look but don’t engage, and keep their food secure. For those who remain unconvinced, think about this: a horse’s kick will hit a person at roughly 200 mph. And the bite? Up to 500 pounds per square inch ... and that’s no joke.
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EDITOR ............................................ Stewart Dobson MANAGING EDITOR ................................ Lisa Capitelli STAFF WRITERS .................................... Greg Wehner, ..........................................Jack Chavez, Mallory Panuska ACCOUNT MANAGERS.......... Mary Cooper, Vicki Shrier ..............................................................Amanda Shick CLASSIFIEDS/LEGALS MANAGER .... Nancy MacCubbin SENIOR DESIGNER ................................ Susan Parks GRAPHIC ARTIST .................................... Kelly Brown PUBLISHER........................................ Christine Brown ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT ...................... Gini Tufts Ocean City Today is published weekly by FLAG Publications, Inc. 11934 Ocean Gateway, Suite 6, Ocean City, Md. 21842 Ocean City Today is available by subscription at $150 a year. Visit us on the Web at www.oceancitytoday.com. Copyright 2022
PUBLIC EYE
Horse turns to crime
EXCLUSIVE: Delegate’s Pride, the Assateague Island horse convicted of crimes against picnic lunches, has a more extensive criminal background than the National Park Service revealed in its announcement this week that he has been deported to Texas. Sources at Assateague National Island Seashore said that account omitted relevant information, including the details of Delegate’s Pride’s first known offense — joy riding in a visitor’s car after spending too much time at the local watering hole. Video provided by the source suggests that Delegate’s Pride became a horse of a different color after that incident and that he soon became an active participant in a purse-snatching ring on the Ocean City Boardwalk. Police also have him listed as a horse of interest in numerous unsolved muggings at local ATMs. He has never been caught, but police said his frequent loitering near the machines around the time of these assaults has raised their suspicions. Meanwhile, federal authorities refuse to acknowledge rumors that Delegate’s Pride may have connections to organized crime.
