It might seem that the story of the Abaco Island Horse ends with Nunki’s death, but it does not. It marks a new beginning and a new focus by Mim to return the wild horses to the Bahamian island. Mim had the foresight to arrange for DNA tissue to be collected from Nunki. Tissue now stored at a cloning facility that will one day provide the genesis of this genetically significant breed.

Mim, 73, has a B.A. from Connecticut College for Women and an M.Ed. from Boston University. She has worked as a writer and editor, as an assistant to a museum exhibit director, started a resort wear company, and managed a yacht maintenance business. Since 1992 she has worked exclusively to save the Abaco horses, without pay.

To mitigate her expenses, Mim lives on a wooden sailboat she restored herself in 1974. The boat, a Magellan 35’ sloop built in 1965 by Robert Newton & Sons in Hong Kong, is named “ALNILAM” which means “String of Pearls” in Arabic. She is currently moored in Treasure Cay, Abaco, her boat serves as both home and office.

In 2017 the Bahamian Cabinet approved the Wild horses of Abaco’s Restoration Plan (WHOA). The next bit big step is to secure the allocation of the 3800-acre conservation area previously offered by the Department of Agriculture but not yet formally endorsed by the Bahamian government.

We asked Mim about her work, a calliope of bureaucratic glad handing, fund raising, barnacle scraping, a lot of “roll up the shirt sleeves” hard farm work. Mim possesses an amazing, herculean dedication to return wild horses to this island paradise.

The “Alnilam” which is Mim’s home

WH: Why do you choose to live on your boat instead of a traditional home?

MH: There’s a sense of freedom living off shore. My home is constantly moving, every minute a different view. I generate my own electricity with solar panels. I catch my own water and only occasionally carry well water from the preserve back to the boat. I try to be vegan but sometimes fail, briefly. I try to live lightly on the planet though I don’t always succeed. I feel closer to natural rhythms on my boat, not buried under noise and frantic activity.

How often do you get ashore and to the preserve?

I go to the preserve about once a week. I take a Dinghy to shore I have not owned a car for three years, so I rent one. First, I run errands, 25 miles to Marsh Harbour to pick up dog and cat food and whatever supplies are needed – nails or trash bags.  I swing back to Treasure Cay stopping at a local restaurant that donates food scraps for the animals. Then I head to the preserve 10 miles away. In the past I made the 70-mile round trip on a 100cc motorcycle modified with a rack to carry everything.

What projects are you working on to prepare the preserve for the eventual return of horses?

There are only a few things we can do until the preserve is officially sanctioned by the government. We provide a foster home for unwanted dogs and cats and tend to their needs. Maintain necessities – hauling water from the well a quarter mile away and keeping the foliage in check. Once the preserve is formalized, our continued fund raising will go toward hiring full time staff so we can implement the restoration plan at full speed.

We are relishing one recent check off from our lengthy to do list. Just last month, we finally got our old tractor, “Messy”, running after 4 years sitting dead in a field. With a new battery and a couple hours tinkering with the engine, she ran just fine. Now we need new rims and tires so she can actually move.