“Where I live there are many travellers horsesgrazing at the side of the road! I fear for their safety & that of the people travelling past in cars that may not see them until it’s too late. In previous years, before being in wheelchair, I have had to go round-up loose horses & wait whilst police try to find the owners; but without the horses being chipped the police have no idea who they belong to! So we have just had to move them away from the road & hope the travellers or owners will see to them.
An Essexhorsesanctuary has said it has been “inundated” with animalsthat are being dumped in fields to “fly-graze” without the permission of landowners.
Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary, near Ingatestone, has had to turn away horses and said the recent floodshave made conditions worse for abandoned animals.
The RSPCA said most of the horses are not micro-chipped so the owners cannot be traced.
The government has said it is looking for ways to tighten laws to stop horses being deserted.
Essex horse sanctuary ‘inundated’ with abandoned animals, BBC News
Published on 23 Feb 2014
An Essex horse sanctuary has said it has been “inundated” with animals that are being dumped in fields to “fly-graze” without the permission of landowners.
Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary, near Ingatestone, has had to turn away horses and said the recent floods have made conditions worse for abandoned animals.
The RSPCA said most of the horses are not micro-chipped so the owners cannot be traced.
The government has said it is looking for ways to tighten laws to stop horses being deserted.
As a member of Redwings with virtual adopted horses ( See below about Adoptions) from their centre; I received the grim news through the post. I wish I could show you the appalling & very upsetting pictures the state the horse were found in, but I can’t; however I can tell you how some of the rescuers described the scene:-
“This was the worst cumulative case of horse suffering we had ever witnessed. Seeing the pain & distress of so many horses was worse than you can imagine. This is a tragic & upsetting situation, but we have to share the harsh reality of this crisis. In the hope that we can stop it from happening again…
Scenes from the Somme – stranded in a vast expanse of deep wet mud, surrounded by barbed wire, with no food & no hope the site was reminiscent of a battlefield with all the horrors of war – the horses were utterly desperate.
Death Camp – the Redwings team likened the scenes to a ‘ concentration camp for horses’ with the vulnerable youngsters & their mothers most likely to succumb to starvation & disease.
The Fallen – over 100 horses were so sick, injured & malnourished that they lost their lives.
“Read more from the news below”
Multi-agency operation in South Wales
Redwings Horse Sanctuary, the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the RSPCA have spent over a week working to safeguard the future welfare of more than 400 horses at a location between Bridgend and Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Following a report to the Vale of Glamorgan Trading Standards team, welfare officers and vets moved quickly to assess the horses and provide treatment for those needing it. Over six days (12-17 November), more than 300 horses were removed from the site to places of safety by the organisations involved, with assistance from South Wales police and Bristol-based charity HorseWorld who provided vital support.
These horses will be cared for and receive further treatment as necessary whilst the investigation continues. Redwings have taken immediate responsibility for 19 horses from the site, including 12 orphaned foals.
Sadly, as the operation on site progressed and more animals were assessed, it became clear that a number of the horses were in such a state of suffering that there was only one option for them. Over 100 of the horses had to be put to sleep on veterinary advice.
Redwings Head of Welfare and senior vet Nic de Brauwere said, “I am incredibly proud of the work my team and staff from the other agencies have carried out over the last week to deal with what was an incredibly severe welfare situation. Our interest at all times was to do the best we could for each horse we found, and tragically for some that meant giving them a peaceful end after all their suffering. This operation has been an astonishing feat considering the small number of people involved and the overwhelming number of demands on our time and resources. Our staff worked tirelessly to meet the needs of the animals on the site despite the incredibly difficult circumstances, and we must give special mention to Vale of Glamorgan Trading Standards team who took quick and decisive action in what was nothing less than a state of emergency for these horses.”
Martin Hubbard from the RSPCA said: “This was a difficult and tragic situation that developed very quickly, leaving many of the horses in a desperate condition. It is thanks to the Vale of Glamorgan local authority and to the fast response and hard work of everyone involved that we managed to attend to the animals and get the majority moved to safety.”
Christina Roberts-Kinsey, Principal Trading Standards Officer for Vale of Glamorgan Council, said, “We take all complaints regarding animal welfare very seriously. After visiting the site and witnessing the appalling conditions it was necessary to take this prompt action to prevent any further suffering to the animals. This action would not have been possible without the help and support of Redwings, the RSPCA and South Wales Police.”
This case is sadly typical of the situation right across the UK, where it is believed up to 7,000 horses and ponies are currently at risk of abandonment or neglect. Welfare charities have produced a report into the current equine welfare crisis, which can be downloaded here http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-updatedhorsecrisis.php.
Since January 1st this year we have taken 219 horses and ponies into our care, and we are currently looking after 1300 rescued residents at our Sanctuary sites across the UK.To donate and help us continue to help horses, please text code RWHS00 followed by the amount you’d like to give (eg RWHS00 £5) to 70070, or follow this link to the donation pages, thanks so much.
We are in the middle of an equine crisis situation in the UK. Redwings has justhelped rescue 300 horses from a site in South Wales,a few weeks ago we helped move 46 seemingly abandoned horses from a site in Hampshire, and we are already operating at capacity, with over 200 horses having coming into our care this year already.
Fly grazing and abandonment are two of the major issues contributing to this crisis. We have been delighted to see the fast tracking of new legislation from the Welsh Government to tackle the fly grazing of horses and ponies in Wales and are urgently asking the UK Government to follow suit in England to help stem the tide of unwanted horses across the country.
The new Control of Horses (Wales) Bill was passed in the National Assembly on December 10th and just needs to receive Royal Assent to become law. It grants more powers to local authorities to take action to help fly grazing and abandoned horses. However, the UK government has no such plans in England at a time when thousands of horses are at risk of suffering and death and landowners and local authorities struggle to cope with the problem.
On Tuesday 26th November 2013, MPs held a debate in Westminster Hall and we would like to thank everyone who asked their MP to go along. there was a really good turnout and a fascinating discussion which we hope will have helped pushed this issue up the political agenda. You can watch the full debate here: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=14264
At the end of September, welfare charities joined forces to remove 46 very hungry and many thin and sickly horses from a bare field in Alton. Eight of the most poorly horses came into the care of Redwings, while the rest found homes at private yards, where the RSPCA is providing for their care.
We very tragically lost Georgiana, only two weeks after her rescue. Georgiana was suffering with salmonella – a disease which several of these horses have – and also had an horrendous small redworm burden. Thousands of small redworms can hide inside the walls of the digestive system undetected, and can suddenly erupt out all at once, causing terrible diarrhoea and internal damage.
The Redwings Adoption Club is the fun way to support our charity and make a new friend in the process! A year’s adoption of a Redwings horse, pony, donkey or mule costs just £12.50, which goes directly towards the daily care of your chosen equine and their friends.
The moving story of Faith, who was rescued from Essex after she had collapsed and could not get up by herself – she was taken to Redwings Horse Sanctuary and against all the odds, she survived – watch her story here and read more about her at www.redwings.org.uk.Text £5 to RWHS00 to 70070 to donate to Redwings.
“My sincere apologies for the lack of post’s, pain is my manager; as most of you know! Sorry can’t find any names of those below, if I could I would publish them. All animal abusers should be named & shame, the bxxxxxd’s don’t deserve the protection of anonymity!!
A 72-year-old man, his wife and daughter were charged byRSPCA with one count of cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act 2002.
The family, fromWhite Gum Valley, are accused of not properly looking after a seven-year-old female Maltese crossShih Tzudog, named Bindi, causing it to suffer harm which could have been alleviated by the taking of reasonable steps.
INVESTIGATION: An RSPCA inspector was called to a house in White Gum Valley. File picture Source: PerthNow
The animal welfare agency will allege the family home was visited by an RSPCA inspector on May 10, 2012 in response to a cruelty complaint.
The inspector said the dog was in poor condition with badly matted fur and anopen wound on her front right leg.
Bindi was surrendered to the RSPCA and taken to RSPCA’s Malaga headquarters for veterinary examination.
She had to be sedated.
The RSPCA will allege its vets found the dog to be severely emaciated, with a very poor body condition, had osteoarthritis, was blind, had severely matted fur, and an open wound on her right, front leg which caused her to walk with difficulty.
It will also be alleged Bindi’s nails were also overgrown that some curled more than 360 degrees, she had a flea infestation which had been present for months and odorous discharges from her ears and eyes.
The RSPCA said Bindi was euthanased on humane grounds.
Lindsay Newell, 26, owner of the Burton Wildlife and Animal Rescue Centre, has been charged with 30 charges of animal cruelty after an RSPCA raid last November.
An RSPCA spokesman said: “The RSPCA can confirm that a 26-year-old woman from Burton is due to appear before Stafford Magistrates’ Court on July 3.
Lindsay Newell
“The woman has been summoned to appear before the court to face a number of animal cruelty charges.
“There are 30 charges in total relating to the Animal Welfare Act. They relate to causing unnecessary suffering to a range of animals including a turkey, a cockerel, a ewe, a male lamb, a Canada goose, a cob, a pony, a lesser black headed gull, a common buzzard, an adult ram, a goat and a pig.
“They also relate to failing to meet the welfare needs of four piglets. As this is still an ongoing case, no further information will be made available at this stage.”
Community outrage at the court results of animal cruelty cases has prompted a social media campaign for harsher penalties.
RSPCATasmanialaunched the campaign on itsFacebook page last night after posting the results of two recent animal cruelty cases heard in Launceston.
In one case, two women from Perth were put on a 12 month good behaviour order but escaped conviction for failing to seek appropriate veterinary treatment for four kittens.
RSPCA Tasmania president Dr Paul Swiatkowski said most sentences imposed for animal cruelty were manifestly inadequate.
It’s hard to keep prosecuting and fighting for justice when the sentences don’t reflect the pain and suffering caused to the animal,” Dr Swiatkowski said.
The RSPCA and the Tasmanian public expect better from our justice system. When it comes to animal cruelty matters, the courts are clearly failing and in many instances sending the message that animals don’t matter.”
RSPCA business manager Allison Ball, who manages the Facebook page, said community outrage was clear every time she posted results of a court case on-line.
Every time I post on the court results we get about 300 to 400 comments saying `what a dreadful result’,” Ms Ball said.
The social media campaign, titled Through the Eyes of the Law, urges people to email Attorney-General Brian Wightman to call for harsher penalties under theAnimal Welfare Act.
As of this morning, the campaign post had been shared 289 times.
A 29-year-old Leighton schizophrenic, who claimed that his pet rats talked to him, has been found guilty of animal cruelty after one was found with four shattered legs.
RSPCA inspectors called at Adam Cheeseborough’s Hockliffe Road flat after reports of a rodent infestation. They found, Luton Magistrates Court heard on Thursday, up to 80 rats running loose through every room and there was an overpowering smell of urine and faeces.
Some were crammed in a filthy cage which had no food. A drowned rat lay on a windowsill, another was found with half a tail and one rat was discovered suffering from a huge cancerous growth.
Rat Found with cancerous growth
But worst of all was a rat whose four limbs were broken and turned the wrong way around, with the bone jutting through its wounds. It was so traumatised that it was unable to squeak and could only move by crawling on his bare bones.
He later had to be put to sleep by a vet.
Cheeseborough appeared in court charged with one offence of causing unnecessary suffering to a rat by failing to provide veterinary care and two charges of failing to meet the welfare needs of two other rats. He denied all three charges which had been brought by the RSPCA.
he animal’s owner told inspectors that the rat had jumped out of a third-floor window. He wasn’t found until the next day and Cheeseborough refused to take it to the vets because he feared the pet would be put down.
As the inspectors collected the flat’s rats they found one on Cheeseborough’s bed suffering with a lump and another behind a piece of furniture with half its tail missing and the stump looking red and swollen. It was later operated on but suffered a heart attack and died. None of the animals had previously received veterinary treatment.
Cheeseborough told the court that he had kept rats for up to 15 years, slept and bathed with them and even took them out with him to the shops.
“I had more than 70 rats and I loved them all. I kept the females in one cage and the males in another and I’d let out one cage at a time to allow them to run around.
“Somehow, one night, one of the male rats got out through the window and I found it the next morning in the grass. I thought that it was waiting for me.
“I picked him up and didn’t think anything was wrong with him. When I got back to the flat I realised that he couldn’t walk but I was nurturing him back to health. If he’d been in pain or squeaking I would have taken him to the vets.
“When the RSPCA came to take my rats I cried all day and night.”
Referring to the rat with the lump he said: “I can communicate with them and she told me that she didn’t like being left in a cage and she didn’t want to go to the vets. I told the RSPCA inspector who came to take them away. He felt it and said I could keep her and that there was nothing wrong with her.”
Talking about the rat with half a tail Cheeseborough said: “I had so many rats. One had a bad tail. I don’t know what happened. I saw that it was sore so I kept it clean and treated it myself. He seemed quite happy. I didn’t think there was anything that a vet could do for it.”
The case was adjourned until June 18 for sentencing.
Yesterday police visited a Mullion Creek property and identified the carcasses of several dead sheep found on a nearby road after they were reported missing by a landowner.
Late yesterday afternoon a man was arrested and interviewed at Orange Police Station.
He was charged with six counts of aggravated cruelty upon an animal, seven counts of committing an act of cruelty on an animal, one count of entering enclosed land and five counts of stealing livestock.
The posting of the photograph on the social media site drew an instant response from the public with a barrage of comments condemning the man’s actions. Police launched an investigation to see if the Facebook posting and the landowner’s complaint were linked.
The Facebook photograph of two men with three dead sheep laid out beside a hunting dog was taken at night in front of a vehicle with the number plate clearly displayed.
Police said yesterday the sheep were identified as being from the property where the owner had reported his sheep missing on Friday night.
Yesterday, police alleged the animals had not been shot, with the carcasses displaying injuries that suggested they had been mauled by a dog and stabbed.
Jo Shearim, part-owner of Bullets n Bits, a hunting supply store in Orange, said the business was inundated with calls from outraged customers on Monday, shortly after the pictures had been posted on Facebook.
“Everyone is disgusted at this,” she said.
“It is this sort of behaviour which gives responsible hunters a bad name.”
An RSPCA spokesman said they had liaised with Orange police over the alleged cruelty incidents throughout the day.
Canobolas Local Area Command Inspector Dave Harvey said police investigations into the case were continuing.
The RSPCA said a charge of aggravated animal cruelty in NSW carried a fine of $22,000 and/or two years imprisonment.
The man has been refused bail by police and will remain in custody until his court appearance.
The RSPCA said it appeared the cat was set on fire and also had a broken tail and other injuries.
The cat is on pain relief medication and is being treated for its injuries.
It follows other recent acts of animal cruelty including a horse that was shot with a shotgun, and a kangaroo and dog that were shot in separate incidents with an arrow.
“It is appalling that the RSPCA has investigated four deliberate acts of animal cruelty inside of three weeks,” RSPCA chief executive David van Ooran said.
Anyone with information about any of the incidents is asked to call the RSPCA’s cruelty hotline on 1300 278 3589.
Walter, Kevin and Amanda Hickman, who have all been jailed for animal cruelty
A BRIERLEY Hill family who kept horses in conditions the RSPCA called medieval have been jailed for animal cruelty.
Amandaand Walter Hickman and their son Kevin, all of Wallows Road, were told by a judge they showed no remorse and were in denial bordering on arrogance.
RSPCA prosecutor Nick Sutton said: “These horses were treated in a way which displayed a total lack of knowledge of horse care, they were in an appalling state – close to death.
“They were tethered and suffering with parasites, their hooves needed to be attended to.
“These people should not be near horses or any other animals.”
The case began when RSCPA inspectors were called to the Hickmans’ home in June 2011 to find a foal collapsed in a horse box on the property.
The animal, which was just weeks old and unable to reach its mother to feed, could not be saved and was later destroyed.
Due to its age the foal’s plight could not form part of the case against the Hickman family however evidence was gathered involving four other animals which were seized by animal welfare workers at the Brierley Hill nature reserve.
The Hickmans’ solicitor, Stephanie Brownlees, told the court her clients’ level of care fell short but they loved the horses and were “shell shocked” by their loss.
She added 23-year-old Kevin, who suffered with cancer as a child and had a long-term memory condition, “went there several times a day to feed them, he did feel he was doing all he could”.
Miss Brownlees said: “The defendants appear to have bitten off more than they could chew, they were ignorant of appropriate levels of care, with the issue of horses being thin they felt they could deal with it by feeding them more.”
District judge Michael Wheeler banned all three from keeping horses for life and jailed Amanda, aged 49, for 16 weeks and Kevin for 18 weeks.
He also jailed wheelchair-bound Walter, aged 52, who suffers from diabetes, kidney failure and has one leg, for 18 weeks.
The judge told the trio: “You intended to plead not guilty in the face of overwhelming evidence and ran up a huge legal bill, we allowed for a three day trial and you waited until the first morning to plead guilty.
“I have been told as a family you kept horses and knew what you were doing, I find that impossible to believe. It is a miracle these animals survived.”
Speaking after the case, RSPCA inspector Paul Seddon said: “These horses were kept in medieval conditions. We have had numerous dealings with this family, you come to a point where you offer advice to them and they seem incapable or unwilling to take it.”
DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
You can find out more about me & this blog by reading "ABOUT THIS BLOG" on the menu (when i finish it) lol
PLEASE NOTE.....
Not all of my posts will be current news, or even about animal abuse! I do like to share other animal news, uplifting stories or videos; some that are funny or just touch the heart!
If I have anything to say on any post, you will see it in bold blue writing. I try to remain a lady, but it's hard to contain my anger & emotions at the some of the stories I post; I don’t have a heart of stone, tears stain many articles I write!
Lastly, my apologies for any errors; I am learning whilst posting, so if you find anything that doesn't work or a broken link, sorry, I'm only human!!!!
ABOUT THESE POSTS
I would just like to make readers aware, that I search for stories on the internet; regards animal abuse etc. I copy stories etc. from the internet; assuming these stories are correct at time of publishing. Having said that, sometimes the press get it wrong! So I just want to add that at the time of me posting a news story, I presume all the facts seem present & correct.
Please note....all people mentioned in this blog, are presumed innocent, until proven otherwise, in a court of law.
Error: Please make sure the Twitter account is public.
Flag Counter Added May 2012
Face Book – Please Take Notice
For anyone wishing to connect to me via my Facebook page...PLEASE NOTE, ONLY PEOPLE I ADD AS ANIMAL ADVOCATES CAN SEE MY WHOLE PAGE...I do this out of respect for those friends I have who do not wish to see graphic images, videos or links of animal abuse!
As 99% of my page is animal related; anyone not in the above group of friends; will only see a limited amount of posts!!
DUE TO ANIMAL HATERS...I WILL ONLY ADD PEOPLE WHO CAN PROVE WHO THEY ARE via Facebook, Wordpress, Twitter etc. & WHO HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN ANIMAL WELFARE... i.e. if your Facebook page has absolutely nothing to do with animals, I see no point in joining my page. My Facebook is solely for animal welfare, I am not interested in playing games etc. I don't mean to sound rude but I am not interested in the amount of friends I have, its the quality of those friends that count.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND REQUESTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN. I do not want anyone to be upset by graphic images etc.
My aim is to educate & raise awareness to the horrors animals face, at the hands of humans, every day, around the world!!
We can not hope to achieve better laws, to protect animals, unless we unite as one, to speak up for those who are voiceless!!
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DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
STOP ANIMAL ABUSE 
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