CUMBERLAND ISLAND, Ga. (WSAV) – A lawsuit demanding a management plan for the horses on Cumberland Island has been dismissed, but advocates say their fight to ensure the animals have enough food and water is far from over.
“They are not living—they’re struggling,” said Gloria Bell, a representative of the Georgia Equine Rescue League (GERL).
GERL was one of the groups listed in the lawsuit, which called for the removal of the horses or the implementation of a management plan guaranteeing access to adequate food and water. Bell, who leads the Cumberland Island Project for GERL, says education is key in addressing the issue.
“You hear so many stories and posts about Cumberland Island,” Bell said. “It tells me that people care. I just wish that before anybody decided to post that stuff, they would take the time to really do some research because it sure opened our eyes.”
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Bell and her team have spent years researching the conditions on Cumberland Island. They cite the horses' struggles with brackish, parasite-infested water, lack of veterinary care and poor quality of life.
The team notes that the horses, domesticated only three or four generations ago, are not truly wild, but feral—still dependent on human intervention.
“Those horses have huge bellies most of the time because they’re pregnant,” Bell explained. “They should be proportionate throughout their body. Their necks are skinny and tiny, which is the first sign of malnourishment. If there were a patch of land connecting the island to somewhere else, they’d leave to find food and grass.
"They wouldn’t stay because it’s beautiful—they’re surviving, not thriving.”
The fight isn’t over. GERL is working on alternative solutions to help the horses.
“If they stay, they need to be fed. There’s not enough on the island for them to eat or enough water for them to drink,” Bell said.