Concerned caller leads to seizure of malnourished horses

ALABAMA -- Acting on a tip from a concerned citizen, Lauderdale County authorities Thursday seized five horses found neglected and malnourished in a rural pasture.

Another horse was found dead on the property, apparently from malnourishment, said Lauderdale County Animal Control Officer Dewayne Oliver, who added that two of the rescued horses may not survive.

“I don’t know if they will make it or not,” Oliver said, adding that all of the animals “were in bad shape, very bad shape.”

 

The horses were seized from a pasture in the 100 block of Lauderdale 353, between St. Florian and Greenhill in the Happy Hollow community, officials said.

“The caller was concerned about the condition of the horses, and once the deputies and animal control officer got there, it turned out there was every reason to be concerned,” Lauderdale County Sheriff Lt. Joe Hamilton said.

The horses were removed from the property and taken to a rescue facility, Hamilton said.

Oliver said there was no grass in the pasture for the animals, and no hay was furnished them.

The horses were so hungry they were “eating bark” from trees on the property, he said.

You can see where they ate the tree bark

“If you are going to have animals, you need to take care of them,” Hamilton said. “In this case, these animals were just surviving, barely.”

Hamilton said no charges have been filed against the owners.

“We are still investigating the situation,” he said. “Once we complete the investigation, we will be discussing the case with the district attorney’s office and possible charges could be filed.”

Oliver said he’s hoping the horses will be OK now that they are going to have plenty of food and be taken care of.

“It’s just sad they had gotten to this point,” he said. “I’m glad we were able to get them before any more died.”

(Times Daily - Dec 31, 2015)