A runaway pony led authorities on a chase through the streets near Vancouver Mall just before the lunch hour on Monday.
At about 11 a.m., Vancouver police could be heard on the scanner talking about a pony on the loose along Highway 500 near Thurston Way.
Paul Scarpelli, manager for Clark County Animal Protection and Control, said numerous police and Washington State Patrol troopers were in the area, attempting to locate and capture the pony in the high-traffic area.
Officers managed to contain the animal near the Vancouver Village shopping area, he said. Field officer Bill Burrus arrived on the scene and they got a harness on the pony.
While the pony is now safe at a foster home, Scarpelli said, the agency is still looking for the owner.
“We’re pretty well connected to the horse community here, but we’ve had nobody come forward,” he said. “We don’t even know which direction it came from.”
If he had to guess, Scarpelli speculates the pony came from the west but for now, “it’s just a mystery.”
Scarpelli said it’s not uncommon for livestock to get loose in the county, but admitted it’s rare to see them by the mall.
“We’ve had cows get on the freeway, and a couple of years ago we had a couple of horses that were loose out by the Costco, but typically that happens in more rural locations,” he said.
The pony appears to be unharmed and in good shape, but a veterinarian will check on its health Tuesday if no one has claimed the animal by then, Scarpelli said.
In the meantime, anyone who has lost a pony or knows whose little pony it might be is encouraged to call Animal Control at 360-397-2488.
