The horse without claim! How a Mexican girl's mare wandered into Texas and was detained by park rangers — sparking a social media campaign that prompted a preacher to drive the animal back across the border — and into the loving arms of her family

A horse named Corona was deported from the US after she escaped her Mexican home and waded across the Rio Grande to Texas, sparking a month-long campaign to return to her family.

The three-year-old brown mare escaped in mid-August from Edgar Ureste's home in Boquillas, just across the border from Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Corona is the beloved 'best friend' of Ureste's seven-year-old daughter Camila, so when she disappeared the family was distraught.

Ureste – who works as a guide through the nearby canyon – followed her hoof prints to the river and saw where they reappeared on the other side – in the US.

He had heard what had happened to animals invading the national park – many were never seen again – so he quickly returned home to get another horse, a stallion named Satanas, and set out to find her.

At first there was no sign of her, but instinct told him to check one of the enclosures and he found her locked in a padlocked room where she neighed in greeting.

But Ureste knew he had no hope of getting her out. He had entered the park without permission and was therefore unable to speak to officials.

Instead, he went back home and logged onto Facebook to ask for help.

He shared a heartbreaking message that read, “My dear friend Corona (pictured left) made the mistake of crossing the river into Big Bend (National) Park.

'I couldn't get her back before the rangers got there. She was picked up and taken away. The chances of us being together again are slim to none.

“I'm trying to figure out where she's going to end up. I'm asking for your help to find out where she will end up. My family is broken, especially my 7 year old daughter. Corona was her best friend.'

An Austin pastor, Deborah Glenn, came to his aid.

She contacted park officials on Ureste's behalf and eventually discovered that Corona had been transferred to a USDA facility in Presidio, more than 100 miles northwest of her home.

Glenn drove eight hours from Austin to the location to make sure she was actually there.

Livestock encroachment is a major problem for the National Park, as roaming animals can destroy monuments and habitats and eat vast amounts of the already sparse vegetation.

There are strict rules in place if your animal escapes into the park and owners – like Ureste – must pay a fine to get them back.

Ureste was told he would have to pay hundreds of dollars for the costs incurred in housing her at the facility ($30 per day), medical bills and her transfer across the border.

They were also told that if she failed her medical exam, she would have to be euthanized.

He turned to Facebook again, calling for donations and selling t-shirts with a photo of Corona on them to raise money.

He said: “She has been in quarantine for more than 15 days and we don't know how long she will have to stay there. With each passing day, the cost of food and blood tests that we will pay to have her returned to us increases! '

He added: “She will be deported, just as any illegal alien on American soil would be.” From Ojinaga to Boquillas I spent more to get her here. We need something between $1,500 and $2,000.”

A month later, in mid-September, he had enough to pay for her release.

But then the family was faced with the problem of getting her home. Ureste couldn't get into the US to pick her up, so they had to find someone to take her across the border back to Mexico.

Glenn came to the rescue again when she drove her truck from Austin.

It took her hours to lure Corona in and they had to run to the border to make it before it closed.

Ureste was waiting with another truck on the other side of the Rio Grande to begin the nine-hour drive home over bumpy dirt roads.

Finally, almost a month after she left, Corona was home – and to her family's surprise, they discovered she was pregnant.

They sent her to a more lush pasture further down the valley until she delivered her foal.

Some Ureste supporters believed that Corona should have simply been released without charge.

But retired biologist Raymond Skiles, who used to work at the park, told Texas Monthly they need to be strict: “This is supposed to be a nature reserve — not to be trampled and eaten.

'It is a place where visitors can enjoy a natural environment without having to leave their campsite.'

Skiles even suggested that some owners deliberately let their animals loose in the park to graze when they had insufficient grass at home.

But Ureste insisted that Corona is “family” and that he would never have released her for fear of not getting her back.