The seizure of apparently starved and neglected animals Wednesday in Santa Fe and Hitchcock led to the discovery of three makeshift animal graves at a junkyard, and patches of fur in trees and animal body parts on a ranch. The remains left animal rescuers and law enforcement officials stunned, shaking their heads and staring in disbelief.
In Santa Fe, buried on grounds used to store old washers and dryers, cars, tractors, boats and trailers was the body of a dead horse, its skull and eye socket peeking through the dry, cracked ground.
The recently burned fur, ash and bones of another animal lay strewn a few feet away. More ashes and bones marked a third shallow grave.
"This is bad," said Jerry Finch, director of Habitat for Horses, a nonprofit rescue group.
In all, 42 animals were seized Wednesday. Of those, 26 were horses and donkeys.
Habitat for Horses received a county warrant to seize the animals after a 13-year-old volunteer with the group noticed them in Santa Fe on her way to church.
Finch said he got warrants to seize the animals after weeks of warnings to Mary Spencer, the owner of the property where the animals were found, and promises from her to take better care of the eclectic herds.
A woman identifying herself as Spencer's mother was at the seizure in Santa Fe, but declined to be interviewed. She did, however, say that her daughter had not abused any of the animals.
Finch said Spencer used to own a petting zoo.
Early Wednesday morning, workers gently led two malnourished horses into trailers. Their rib cages could be clearly seen through their scratched coats. One horse could barely stand.
Lark Tedesco-Finneman, media information officer for Habitat for Horses, said that the warrant was served on the Santa Fe property in the 13000 block of 24th St. earlier than expected because Spencer might have been tipped off that the group was coming to seize the animals.
Donkeys, ponies, cats, dogs and goats � one with what appeared to be a broken leg � also were taken from the Santa Fe lot.
Workers with Galveston County Animal Control chased the goats for several minutes trying to catch them.
One donkey's hooves were so thick from not being cut that they had started to turn upward. Finch said that the animal was in pain because of the overgrown hooves and he worried whether it would survive.
"Those hooves haven't been trimmed in years to get that long," said Santa Fe police Sgt. Victor Boudreaux.
He said that the police department had received previous calls about Spencer's property. Once rescuers left the Santa Fe junkyard, they went to Spencer's property in the 7200 block of Redfish in Hitchcock.
There animal workers and law enforcement officials found a thin, ragged llama, more goats, donkeys whose bodies were as thin as their pointed ears, pregnant, famished miniature horses, and full-size horses with protruding hip bones and rib cages and nicked coats.
Workers found more fur and the leg of a horse with the hoof attached at the Hitchcock property. Finch said he believed that coyotes attacked the sick horses that were unable to defend themselves.
"These are the walking wounded," he said.
Workers with Lone Star Equine Rescue, a Bryan-College Station group, helped Habitat for Horses volunteers get the horses and donkeys into trailers so they could be transported back to Habitat for Horses' ranch to be checked out. Tibaldo Feed and Supply helped out with food for the animals.
Lone Star will take the goats and llama back to Bryan-College Station.
Spencer is due in civil court June 11 to argue over custody of the animals, Finch said. Finch asked for donations since the size of the habitat's horse population would double with the seizure. Case UpdatesA judge Monday ordered more than 20 horses and donkeys seized in Santa Fe and Hitchcock to remain with Habitat for Horses, a nonprofit organization that took possession of the animals nearly two weeks ago.
Another nonprofit group, Lone Star Equine Rescue, based in College Station, will take some of the horses. Justice of the Peace Mike Nelson ruled that owner Mary Spencer could not have the horses and donkeys back because she could not afford to take care of them.
Read More: Galveston Daily News | | Update posted on Jun 10, 2003 - 10:31AM |
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