Eight horses neglected
Tulsa, OK (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Mar 21, 2007
County: Tulsa
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 2 files available
Abuser names unreleased
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Eight horses are being rehabbed at the Tulsa County Stockyards on March 21 after deputies discovered them starving in a north Tulsa field. As the horses were being loaded up, some of their owners were being taken into custody as well.
A bucket of feed is a welcome surprise for the horses, their hips protruding and their ribs easier to make out than they ever should be.
"But it appears as if they haven't been fed in quite a while, as if they're starving. This is one of the worst cases we've seen in a while," said Sgt. Willie Brown of Tulsa County Sheriff's Office.
"And I was like, yeah, you know, you need to feed them more. They need to be fed more," said horse owner Erica Alexander.
Alexander is just one of the people who keeps their horse on the north Tulsa field. Alexander says her husband has been feeding their horse, Honeycomb.
"Can't just be mean and just feed one, you know? You feed 'em all," said Alexander.
She says the number of horses grazing on this field has doubled since last year.
"He's been feeding all five horses, then all of a sudden he has to feed all ten horses, and you know, everybody's doing the best they can and I guess it's just not enough," she said.
Honeycomb is just one of the horses being confiscated. Eight are now in custody. A horse that belonged to one of Alexander's relatives was so weak and malnourished, it couldn't stand and had to be euthanized at the scene.
"It's one of the worst cases we've seen, not necessarily in severity, but in number, at least, this many in one place at one time," said Brown. "It's pretty tragic."
The sheriff's office says new state law holds owners responsible for animal neglect even if the horses are in someone else's care.
"They're obviously undernourished," said Veterinarian Dr. Chet Thomas.
Veterinarians say there's not enough grass in that field to support nine horses. Now those horses' owners could face felony animal cruelty charges.
Four men were taken into custody at the same time the horses were confiscated. Deputies say the saddest part is the folks who did come up to feed their horses not reporting how sick the others had gotten.
Case UpdatesAnimal abuse investigators from the City of Tulsa and Tulsa County plan to present their evidence to the district attorney. They say four owners could face felony animal cruelty charges. The eight horses are now at the Tulsa Stockyards getting some much needed attention. The News On 6's Joshua Brakhage reports their bodies may be weak, but the folks taking care of them say their spirits are still strong.
Sheriff's Deputies say it's been a long time since the eight horses have been properly fed. Now they're getting the kind of care deputies say they didn't in a small Tulsa field.
"But it appears as if they haven't been fed in quite a while, as if they're starving," said Sergeant Willie Lewis. "This is one of the worst cases we've seen in a while."
Veterinarians say there was not enough grass in the field for nine horses. One horse was so weak, it couldn't stand up, and had to be put down right where it laid. The stockyards sees sick animals come in all the time. They say they've seen worse individual cases, but never this many, this bad off.
"He's been feeding all five horses, then all of a sudden he has to feed all 10 horses, and you know, everybody's doing the best they can and I guess it's just not enough," said horse owner Erica Alexander.
Owners promise they've been feeding the horses, but folks at the stockyards say differently. Caregivers say most of the horses look like colts, even though they're 4-years-old or older. They say that only happens after extensive malnutrition.
The stockyards will keep the horses fed and taken care of until they're healthy enough to travel. Then they'll be adopted out, which shouldn't be much of a problem, The News On 6 has already gotten calls from as far away as the southwest corner of the state from people who want to give the horses a safe and happy home. But it will be a long road, the stockyards' owner says it could be two months or more before the horses recover from the apparent starvation. | Source: KOTV - March 22, 2007
Update posted on Mar 23, 2007 - 5:30AM |
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