Brumby foal finds a home

WHEN Abbie James found a fragile brumby foal lying alone on the side of the road near her Bluewater home, she knew she could give the animal a second chance at life.

The tiny brumby was around a week old when it was found.

“We picked her up and went for a drive hoping to find her mum,” Ms James said.

“The only option was to either leave her there or bring her home.”

The foal, named Willow, is now about seven weeks old and thriving with the help of a local woman and her mare who had just finished nursing.

Elisha Mordecai connected with Ms James on Facebook after she posted asking for advice on how to raise Willow into a healthy, happy pet.

Ms Mordecai brought her quarter horse mare Lectro Sassy Badger, or Sass for short, to meet Willow and a vital relationship was formed.

“We started bottle feeding ( Willow) when we first got her. I didn’t know whether I was going to be able to give her as much milk as she needed,” Ms James said.

“We brought ( Sass) back here and it probably took two weeks for the mare to fully accept the foal.

“But she’s her new mummy and since then the foal is growing and it’s so good; without her we’d be in a bit of strife.”

Ms James said Willow now has a loving home forever.

“She’s so friendly, once she’s old enough we’ll get her broken in,” she said.

Ms James said once people have experienced the beauty and personality of brumbies, the animals would not be labelled as pests.

Residents and motorists have been divided over the Townsville City Council’s proposed culling of brumbies around the Bluewater and Rollingstone areas, after two people were killed in separate car accidents involving brumbies on the Bruce Highway.

“We don’t kill kangaroos just because someone hits a kangaroo, you’ve just got to be aware,” Ms James said.