The Current Status of the Abaco Island Horse

We can bring them back! The Government of the Bahamas has approved a plan to as closely as possible restore the extinct sub breed of the horses raised in Cuba by the Conquistadores. It’s an incredible adventure, and we hope you will join us on what will be an amazing voyage. See A Short Version of the 40-page Restoration Plan

Over 125 years ago ago there were 200 or more wild horses on Great Abaco Island, Bahamas. They were imported to Abaco in the late 1800s to remove logs from Abaco’s forests. They later were abandoned when tractors were introduced. These horses were the time-capsuled descendants of the horses that Christopher Columbus and his followers brought with them to the New World, at the end of the 15th Century.

The horses survived the abandonment and lived independently and undisturbed until man disrupted the balance. All but three were slaughtered in the early 1960s.

They came back to 35 animals by the mid 1990s. But a hurricane pushed the horses out of their badly damaged forest habitat, where they had thrived for so long, into a lush and toxic citrus plantation that was hurricane-damaged and littered with chemicals, destroyed buildings, too-rich pastures, and poisonous plants.

It was the beginning of the end for the horses. Despite the best efforts of Milanne Rehor, who has worked since 1992 to preserve the horses, the herd had been reduced to one mare during the spring and summer of 2015. That mare, Nunki, died on July 23, 2015.

Despite enormous logistical difficulties, a veritable “Catch 22” situation, living tissue was taken from Nunki and is safe and secure at ViaGen in Texas where we plan to clone Nunki. For daily updates on progress please see our Facebook page at Abaco Horses.

Nunki’s Story

Disclaimer: There are a number of other websites claiming to be about the Abaco Wild Horses. We are the only site that is ‘on-site’ in Abaco; we started the project in 1992.and have been working for the horses ever since. If you need up to date information, this is the place for it. Other sites only confuse issues and draw attention away from our critical needs. Thank you for your support.