Herd of starved horses seized by SPCA
22-02-2010 By CLARA HO, QMI Agency, CNews, Canada
A herd of 33 neglected horses, some of them pregnant and others near death, were seized near Bonnyville, Alberta Friday and brought to an Ardrossan rescue group to be nursed back to health.
A rescued horse with physical signs of starvation at the Keno Hills Stables east of Edmonton, Alberta. The horse is one of thirty-three of the animals seized by the SPCA; they are being cared for at the facility. (JORDAN VERLAGE/EDMONTON SUN)
Susan Fyfe, founder of the Rescue 100 Foundation, said her heart broke when she got a call from the Alberta SPCA informing her that yet another group of horses — the second herd in one week — were coming to her facility east of Sherwood Park.
“This is disgusting. I’m so sad for the horses,” Fyfe said, as she and volunteer Kevin Kemp deloused a black and white mare with shaggy fur, hip bones jutting and spine showing. “If people get into a situation where they can’t afford to care for the horses, if they just cry out to the public, the public will help.”
Three stallions, 24 pregnant mares — two of them ready to give birth within the week — and six young foals were delivered to her stables Friday afternoon with cuts, limps, and their spines prominently showing.
Their fur had grown long and thick to keep their skinny bodies warm, Fyfe said.
Eight of the horses were close to dying, but have been fed and watered and are expected to survive, Fyfe added, though one horse is still in poor condition and being monitored by vets.
In another case last Tuesday, 17 horses from Carrot Creek were brought to Fyfe’s stables. Three other horses had died after suffering for weeks without food or water, with one woman now facing charges under the Animal Protection Act in connection with the incident.
Fyfe and other volunteers in the area started the Rescue 100 Foundation in March 2008 after taking in nearly 100 starving Arabian horses rescued from an Andrew-area farm.
Peace officers had descended upon the farm about 104 km northeast of Edmonton, seizing 100 horses and dozens of other animals. Carcasses of 27 horses and numerous rabbits, chickens and ducks were also discovered on the property. It was the largest seizure of horses in Alberta SPCA history.
Two men were charged with and pleaded guilty to allowing animals to be in distress and failing to provide duties of care. One man was slapped with a $12,000 fine, banned from owning horses for life, given a limit on the number of other animals he can own, and ordered to allow the Alberta SPCA peace officers access to his property to inspect his animals, while the other was ordered to pay a $6,000 fine.
Both men also had to pay $2,000 restitution to the Alberta SPCA.
Since then, Fyfe said the foundation has taken in and cared for about 165 horses and placed about 120 of them into good, “forever homes.” As the foundation relies on donations and volunteers, Fyfe encouraged people to donate resources such as delousing solution, hay, and even their time to help.
clara.ho@sunmedia.ca
(Bron: http://cnews.canoe.ca/)
(Bron foto: CNews)
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