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HALIFAX — Researchers studying the carcasses of Sable Island’s fabled wild horses have discovered many had unusual levels of parasites and sand, suggesting they are tougher than most horses, even as many died of starvation.

A team from the University of Saskatchewan and Parks Canada performed necropsies on more than 30 dead animals during trips to the isolated sandbar about 160 kilometres off Nova Scotia in 2017 and 2018.

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“We showed up in 2017 not knowing whether there would be any dead horses to find,” said researcher Emily Jenkins.

“Scientifically we really didn’t know anything about the causes of mortality in this population because the last work that was done was in the 1970s.”

The horses have roamed there since the 18th century and become synonymous with the island’s romantic and untamed image.

Jenkins said conditions on the wind-swept, 42-kilometre long island were particularly harsh in the early spring of 2017, and that had an effect on the horse population.