MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WITN) – A days-old baby horse from one Eastern Carolina reserve is getting some needed veterinary care after being sent off the island.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality announced that a foal was found injured at the Rachel Carson Reserve in Beaufort on Monday.

Paula Gilkin, the department’s site manager for the Reserve, said the horse was seen “exhibiting signs of extreme distress”. She said the local equine veterinarian advised more treatment and sent the foal to the N.C. State College of Veterinary Medicine.

The Rachel Carson Reserve is located south of Beaufort and has a series of islands, including Horse Island. Horse herds are continually monitored, the department says, and they only intervened due to the foal’s age and distress.

In a news release, state officials are asking the public to keep a 50-foot or greater distance when viewing the wild horses.