Seven horses were removed from a property on Railroad Avenue in Saunderstown on Tuesday after authorities got a tip they were living in squalid conditions.
After a month-long investigation, the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has custody of the horses that were living in the stalls.
"And their stalls were never cleaned for a period of 30 days where the waste accumulated to probably a foot or so high," said Dr. E.J. Finocchio of the RISPCA.
"The level of ammonia in there from the urine is not only bad for humans, it's bad for the animals," RISCPA investigator Joseph Warzycha said.
The SPCA said the horses were given hay and water and that despite being skinny, they were in overall good health.
The horses' owner, Philip Price, was charged with eight counts of unnecessary cruelty to animals and one count of dealing in animals without a license. He has pleaded not guilty.
He's said to buy horses from other states and bring them back to Rhode Island where he sells them without the proper health paperwork.
“So horses coming into our state without health certificates or certificates or the proper tests, they could be a problem for the health of the equines in the state of Rhode Island,” Finnocio said.
The SPCA said Price voluntarily handed them custody of the horses as of Thursday.
"It's very expensive to take care of horses, and we have to flip the bill to board and to feed these horses. We have already found homes for five of them, and we need to find homes for two of them," Finocchio said.
 |
| This is the same horse, since recovered since being seized |
The SPCA said it was Price's responsibility to care for the horses. The property owner where he was boarding them is not responsible or charged.
Some of the horses were not removed because they were living outside and not in the dirty stalls, but the SPCA said they remained under state quarantine Tuesday.
(Turnto10 - July 14, 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment