OFFICERS AT THE Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) have attended to an unusually high number of horse cruelty cases this week.
On all six occasions, the animal died or had to be humanely destroyed because of starvation or neglect.
In Clondalkin, a horse at the 12th Lock was dumped dead in the canal. Elsewhere in the area, a horse (pictured) was found tied up in a ditch filled with illegally-dumped oil and other toxic liquids. It was drowning and had to be put down on the site at Deansrath.
Earlier in the week, a horse which was buried in a small back garden in north Dublin had to be exhumed and removed by local authorities. And in south Dublin, another horse was found dead at the side of the road.
So far this year, the society has dealt with 466 horses, only 2 per cent of which were microchipped.
“As a charity that deals with animals cruelty on a daily basis we would like to be in a position find the owners of these animals and if needed to prosecute for neglect,” said DSPCA CEO Brian Gillen. “But with none of the horses we have dealt with so far this week being microchipped, this is impossible.”
The organisation has called for the immediate implementation of the Department of Agriculture’s planned national horse database.
Separately, the ISPCA has called on women to participate in this year’s Women’s Mini Marathon to help raise funds to take care of the horse and other creatures in their National Animal Centre.
The charity says it has experienced “an unprecedented high level of animal cruelty cases” this year that is “stretching resources”.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say