The Chincoteague Pony, also known as the Assateague horse, is a breed of horse that developed and lives in a feral condition on Assateague Island in Virginia and Maryland. A mysterious disease known as swamp cancer killed three ponies and sickened four others.
The remaining four Chincoteague ponies afflicted with swamp cancer, the mysterious disease that killed three other ponies this year, were euthanized, officials announced Friday.
The announcement marked the end of a months-long battle with a
fungus-like disease that leaves ponies with lesions on their bodies and can be very painful.
Denise Bowden, spokesperson for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which manages the ponies, announced in a Facebook post that although the ponies "received the very best care money could buy," the decision was ultimately made to put them down.
The four remaining ponies euthanized were Shadow, Lightning, Calceti'n and Elusive Star, Bowden said. Their ages and ownership are not known at this time.
"They had surgeries, more medicine than you can imagine, round-the-clock care and lots and lots of love and attention," Bowden wrote. "They just couldn't fight this off and before we let them suffer any more than they have been, we feel the right decision was made."
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