Case Details

Horse, goat, donkey neglect
Longmont, CO (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Sep 11, 2006
County: Boulder
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Marion Wilce

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 9722
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: horse, other farm animal, goat
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Boulder County sheriff's deputies and animal control specialists impounded 11 horses, a miniature donkey, and a miniature goat from a boarding facility north of Longmont Thursday afternoon, pursuant to an on-going animal cruelty investigation. The property is located at 15429 North 107 th Street (U.S. 287), approximately four miles north of Longmont in unincorporated Boulder County.

The animals were impounded with the assistance of volunteers from Colorado Horse Rescue, a private non-profit organization. The horses will be boarded at Colorado Horse Rescue's facility until a disposition can be reached on criminal charges or they are claimed by an owner. A veterinarian from the Colorado State Veterinarian's office was scheduled to examine the animals late Thursday afternoon. Two other horses were released to private owners.

Thursday's actions stem from a complaint made on Sept. 11 that the horses at the facility were not receiving adequate feed and care. Animal control specialists from the Sheriff's Office investigated and, with the assistance of a representative of the Colorado Bureau of Animal Protection, determined that the horses were not receiving an adequate amount of feed. The proprietor, Ms. Marion Wilce, 43, was cited on Sept. 14 for a violation of a Boulder County's ordinance on failing to provide proper care for animals . Violations of the ordinance constitute a petty offense and carry a fine of $55.00.

The investigation generated a good deal of media interest as well as additional citizen complaints. Deputies were subsequently informed that two horses had allegedly been stolen from the property on Sept. 22 and that a third horse had died, allegedly from starvation.

The two missing horses were found on Sept. 27 in a nearby pasture and were returned to the boarding facility. They were among the 11 horses impounded Thursday. A Sheriff's detective is attempting to determine if the horses were actually stolen or simply escaped from the boarding facility.

Ms. Wilce initially told animal control specialists that no horse had died, but subsequent investigation revealed that a pony had died on or about Sept. 11 and had been removed from the property and buried. A determination as to the specific cause of the animal's death has not been made.

Animal control specialists continued to check on the livestock in the intervening weeks, but no appreciable improvement was noted. In view of their underweight condition and the confirmed death of the pony, authorities concluded that, in the interest of the animals' welfare, they should be impounded. Further, they felt that the circumstances amounted to probable cause for the issuance of a summons to Ms. Wilce for Cruelty to Animals, a Class 1 Misdemeanor. They plan to cite Ms. Wilce for the violation on Thursday evening. She is currently in custody at the Boulder County Jail on an unrelated misdemeanor Failure to Appear warrant stemming from a civil action.

Case Updates

Mr. Littles, a plucky donkey seized in an animal cruelty case in September, battled through a crippling foot disorder and is once again moseying around the barn at Colorado Horse Rescue.

Deputies confiscated the emaciated donkey, along with a goat and 11 horses, from Marion Wilce�s property north of Longmont after investigating complaints from neighbors that the boarder did not properly feed the animals.

On a recent afternoon, Mr. Littles sunned himself in his pen. A vet donated orthopedic, wooden �cobbler shoes� to help his hooves recover from laminitis, a foot inflammation, Colorado Horse Rescue director Rachel Tanguy said.

�He�s much more comfortable,� she said. �He�s definitely gained weight. He�s got a little belly, and he�s moving around better.�

The other animals also recovered. Jake, a black Oldenburg horse who suffered from a weeping sore on his left side when deputies seized him, quickly bounced back from being more than 200 pounds underweight. A tiny scar on his neck is the only reminder of his injury.

�They�ve done extremely well,� Tanguy said of the animals. �Other than the donkey and Jake, all of them basically just needed food.�

If and when a judge releases the animals for adoption, new owners will likely pay fees ranging between $350 and $2,500 each for Mr. Littles, the goat and 10 of the horses. Only one of the 11 horses was picked up by its owner.

Whoever adopts Mr. Littles will need to pay to have his therapeutic shoes replaced periodically, Tanguy said. The group received many calls from potential adopters after local papers ran articles about the donkey.

To help the nonprofit Colorado Horse Rescue, call 720-494-1414 or visit www.chr.org.
Source: Longmont FYI - Dec 24, 2006
Update posted on Dec 27, 2006 - 5:24PM 

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References

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