However, they believe Willow’s story needs to be told.
Rescuers here at MARL said this is one of the worst cases of animal abuse they’ve ever seen. However, Willow got her name because she bends but doesn’t break.
“To see how forgiving she is of people after being treated the way she was treated, I was really surprised,” said Kenny Moore, Equine Manager at MARL
“She’s just blossomed here,” said Debra Boswell, the MARL director.
But that wasn’t always the case for Willow, the miniature horse.
Five weeks ago she was brought in by an animal control agency that works with MARL. She was underweight, had trouble walking, and was mutilated.
“They cut the tail off at the base of her spine,” Boswell said.
Boswell said Willow was found after the owner died and family went to close up the house. Willow was found in a room with a concrete floor and bucket for water.
She had been surgically altered to keep her from using the bathroom, and she’d been sexually abused.
“Sexual abuse of animals is not as uncommon as you might think,” Boswell said. “We’ve seen numerous cases over the years. We’ve just not seen this level of mutilation, and it’s fairly apparent that they’ll use objects on the animals, they’ll use objects to violate the animals. She was in pretty rough shape. We feel that that’s part of what happened to her.”
Willow’s legs had been restrained.
Moore says she’s still regrowing her hair, but she’s already been adopted by an equine trainer in Tyler, Texas. She’ll make the trip to her new home in the next couple of weeks.
“She’s sweet as she can be,” Moore said. “She’s got a little bit of personality. She pretty much roams the area down here all day long.”
Rescuers don’t expect any charges in this case.
I wonder if the reason no charges are being filed is because her owner, who is now dead, was the one raping her?
(WJTV - April 11, 2017)
