Chincoteague Fire Company says rising illegal entry at wildlife reserve could force town to move ponies to more remote location

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. – The Chincoteague Fire Department is raising the alarm about visitors not following the rules when it comes to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge’s native pony population.

According to the fire department, instances of visitors not observing the rules, coming onto the island and even interacting with the ponies have been rising this year.

The department says it’s a result of tour guides bringing locals in, and not respecting the rules, including only going on shore in a specific section of the island.

The department says if these illegal actions continue they’ll have no choice but to move the population further inland and cut off the publics’ ability to view them from afar.

Tonight they are reminding visitors that access to the beach is extremely limited, and to never approach a wild pony.

“If it doesn’t work out and the people keep bothering them and keep breaking these rules here, we will move them to the northern herd, which is very limited public access,” said Hunter Leonard of the Chincoteague Fire Department adding “It’s putting what we’re doing in jeopardy, what we’re trying to keep going because the ponies are private. I mean, they’re privately owned and we’re lucky enough to have a federal grazing permit to have them on government land, so it’s kind of a fragile environment.”

Leonard tells us those up-close interactions can cause stress to the ponies, causing them to kick or bite people or otherwise cause injuries, calling on any tour guides to set a good example for any people they may be bringing to the refuge.