"I've been watering the cows all summer," said Corley. "Otherwise they wouldn't have had no water."
Corley says he's watched the animals waste away for years, feeding them whenever he could afford it. But after seeing one injured cow lay in its own feces for four days, he called White County investigators.
"I wish somebody would load them up and take the somewhere because it's just a matter of time before they get worse," said Corley.
"This time of year with the drought that we've had, all cows are not looking that good," said Corporal Steve Hernandez with the White County Sheriff's Department.
That's exactly why they're not charging the owner just yet. With extreme drought conditions, farmers across the state are barely able to afford hay and feed and you don't have to go far to find an underfed animal. However, Corley still believes these conditions are extreme.
"If you can't afford to feed these animals, why don't you sell them? They need to be sold or given to someone who can take care of them," he said.
On the phone, the owner of the cows denied Corley's abuse claim adding he has been treating the wounded cow. So deputies will continue to monitor the animals adding if this cow doesn't get up within the next few days, the owner could face animal cruelty charges.
"If the cow is still there and the condition is getting worse than well start talking to the owner about charges," said Cpl. Hernandez.
(Fox16 - Sept 13, 2012)
