No foal left behind.
It’s always cool to get a glimpse into the high-stakes nature of… well, nature. While the rest of us work our 9 to 5 jobs to make a living, wild animals are out there fighting for their lives for a living. It’s an interesting thing to think about sometimes, and when real examples like this one are caught on camera, they deserve some time in the spotlight.
The “Help Alberta Wildies Society” is a group dedicated to the conversation and protection of the area’s wild horse population. Located in Alberta, Canada, there’s no shortage of wildlife, and the trail cameras they set up often capture unbelievable moments that don’t always pertain to “wildies.”
In the past, they’ve shared videos of big, menacing bears barreling through the woods after wild horses. Or even a wolf getting caught on trail camera footage carrying a trail camera in its mouth. That one is certainly a sight to see, and just another great example of crazy things that take place all the time out in the wild.
Sometimes you just need a trail camera to capture it.
Fortunately, a trail cam was set up in the perfect spot to document this tense interaction between a pack of wild horses and an aggressive wolf. The horses put up an incredible, strategic fight once they realized their safety was being threatened. The well-being of the young foal in the group was at the forefront of the herd’s priorities, as they made sure to keep distance between the predator and the potential prey.
With the wolves closing in from a couple of different directions, the mature horses formed a moving boundary around the foal. No matter where the hungry wolves were located, the mares and the stallion kept a circle of protection around the young horse. Anytime the wolves tried to make a run, one of the more mature horses briefly broke the protective form they were in, chased it, and then returned.
It’s really fascinating to watch.
The Help Alberta Wildies society posted the clip to Facebook, where it has now garnered over 1 million views. They also shared this caption, seemingly posting the video because someone reached out to them wondering if a stallion would protect his foal if they were to be attacked:
“A lot of people ask us if the Stallion would try to protect his foal from wolves. This short video will give you an idea of what that might look like. This was just over a year ago.”
As you likely noticed, the video cut off before we could see how the scuffle eventually ended. However, it looked to me as though the horses were in complete control of the scary situation, and they weren’t going to let anything happen to the foal.
The wolves tried their best to single out the foal, but couldn’t succeed thanks to the protective and preemptive action from the adult horses traveling alongside it. That’s what you call strength in numbers…
