A man in Auckland, New Zealand starved
11 of his horses so badly, they resorted to eating their own feces and sawdust bedding in a desperate attempt just to get anything into their empty bellies.
Even worse: officials also have evidence that he physically abused his horses. Witnesses observed him punching the animals and slamming them with a shovel, buckets, and other painful objects. Yet it took authorities more than a year to finally charge him with a crime.
Why did authorities allow this man to continue to abuse captive horses for so long? He must never be allowed to work or live with animals again! Sign the petition to demand justice!Apparently this man spent around 15 months neglecting the animals, causing inspectors to visit the facilities several times.
During those visits, inspectors also noticed some horses
eating wood from fences and their stable walls, dirt, car tires, and even licking metal partitions due to starvation. He has also been accused of denying his horses veterinary and dental care.
Additionally, officials grew concerned that their owner was locking them up on short leads for as much as
12 hours at a time - rather than allowing them to forage or giving them freedom of movement. One horse was confined to his stall for 22 days straight - with only five hours of freedom.
Even worse, this man has had access to horses for a long, long time. He has worked for more than 40 years in the harness racing industry, in addition to owning these 11 horses.
Authorities have since convicted him of 30 counts of .... , sentencing him to 160 hours of community service, and banning him from horse ownership for seven years.
But what about after that time? And what about other types of animals? This man has shown himself to be deeply abusive and neglectful - and not safe around animals, period. Authorities must ensure he is never allowed to own or work with animals again! Sign the petition to keep horses and other animals safe!