The Injured Foal – One of Many Souls Saved on Bonrook

In a remote Indigenous community outside the town of Mataranka, in the region known as Never Never Country about 240 km southeast of our wild horse sanctuary Bonrook, a four-week-old foal was attacked and badly wounded by wild dogs. A woman from the community found the helpless foal with deep bite wounds and knew it had to be taken to safety immediately, as the dogs could return at any moment.

Acting quickly, she and her brothers loaded the foal into a four-wheel-drive and brought him to a friend’s 40-hectare farm north of Katherine. They named him Maluka, a local Aboriginal word meaning “Boss Man.”

First Aid, Recovery and Preparation for Bonrook

The farm owner contacted me here on Bonrook to ask if we could help, as the young colt urgently needed veterinary care. I called the veterinary clinic we work with in Katherine, and they sent one of their senior vets. Maluka was treated, given pain medication, and the farm owner administered further medication over the following days.

I visited Maluka twice on the farm to check on him. Despite his trauma, he was always in good spirits and, at just five weeks old, surprisingly large and strong. He lived in a fenced one-hectare paddock with shade, milk feed, water and hay. To give him companionship, two neighbour ponies were put in with him. I set up several portable horse-fence panels to create a small space where he could learn to be haltered and led.

A New Life on Bonrook

In early October, once his health had significantly improved, I transported Maluka to Bonrook with the horse trailer. Here he is now safe and able to grow up alongside the station horses. For the moment he remains in a separate outside yard, where he has already settled in well. He eats and drinks regularly, appears alert and curious, and watches the station horses in the neighbouring paddocks with great interest. Over the coming weeks, we will gradually introduce Maluka to the herd so he can naturally begin to bond with the other horses.

More Horses in Need of our Help

The community Maluka came from is a former cattle station. When the land was returned to the Indigenous owners more than 25 years ago, all the horses were released. They remained in the area and interbred with wild horses — the Brumbies. Maluka descends from these horses.

Maluka’s herd, around seven horses, regularly returns to the Indigenous community to graze and drink. But they too are at risk of being attacked by wild dogs. In close cooperation with members of the community, we managed to bring a mare and her newborn foal into a fenced front yard — a small safe haven in the midst of many uncertainties.

To enter Aboriginal land and relocate horses, the consent of the entire community is required — often a lengthy and sensitive process, marked by changing views and emotions. After several discussions and negotiations, we now have approval to bring at least the newborn foal and its mother to Bonrook in the coming days.

We won’t give up until the rest of the herd is safe as well — here on Bonrook, where they can live in peace and without fear.