OSPCA lays cruelty charges after finding multiple dead, starving horses on farm

Three people are facing animal cruelty charges after the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) discovered multiple dead horses and 15 other horses near starvation at a farm in Stouffville, Ont.

The OSPCAwent to the farm, about 50 kilometres northeast of Toronto,on May 3 after hearing concerns about the condition of a herd of horses there.

Upon arrival, the OSPCAsaid in a news release,it found dead horses around the property in "various levels of decomposition." A veterinarian who assistedthe inspection told CBCToronto there were seven dead horses.

"One of them was already anold carcass one had probably been dead for three weeks," said OscarCalvete, an equine veterinarian.

Calvetesaid it's unclear what killed the horses, but that it's the worst case of animal neglect he's seen in his 36 years of work.

The OSPCA and Calvete also discovered 14emaciated adult horsesand one ponyinsqualid conditions.

"The horses were in stalls full of mud, feces and water," Calvetesaid.

The veterinarian said the horses' bones were showing through their skin, whileseveral year-old animals were just 60 per cent of the size they should have been.

Calvetesaid he bathed one stallionthat was caked in excrement. "The skin was so irritated underneath," he said. "I felt so sorry for him."

Calvetesaid he's seen animal neglect in the past, but never on this scale.

"Usually you see neglect in one horse that had been abandoned for whatever reason, three horses at the most," he said."Not a herd of 15."

Charges against 3 caretakers

Three people who were supposed to be looking after the horsesare charged with permitting an animal to be in distress, failing to provide adequate food and failing to provide care necessary for general welfare. The charges have been filed under the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The accused are scheduled to appear at aprovincial court in Newmarket, Ont., on July 6.

The OSPCAsaid thehorses have been moved away from the farm.

"The Ontario SPCA continues to monitor their care to ensure all veterinary recommendations are being followed," the organization said in a news release.