More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A young horse left to die by a Maidstone road has been rescued by an animal charity.
The one-year-old colt was recovered by DENS Animal Welfare and Support last night.
He is very underweight, weak and infested with lice. A worker from the charity said last night's dip in temperature would have killed him had he not been found.
Too weak to even lift his body, seven people had to pick the horse up before transporting him to the nearest medical centre, where he is receiving treatment for his wounds.
A spokesperson from the charity said it had rescued three abandoned ponies in the last four days and in the past week it had received 21 calls.
She told KentOnline: "This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a huge crisis going on right now. You have to try and put your emotions aside but some of the things we have seen make grown men cry.
"The horse is still alive but very, very poorly. All he has known is abuse and neglect but we will do all we can to ensure he survives.
"There is hardly any legislation that protects horses and we are trying to change this. On April 16 we are going to demonstrate outside the House of Commons to raise awareness about how big this problem is."
Equine charities do not have the legal power to remove animals from the land or premises where they are neglected.
By the time police are involved and arrangements made to legally recover them, many of the animals lose their fight.
To change this a petition has been set up, calling on charities to have the power to seize an animal should its suffering be apparent. To sign the petition click here.
Police can assist with horses that appear to have been abandoned and should be contacted by dialing 101.
If you spot a horse that you think is being neglected you can call the charity on 07922 310573 or email aws@thedensproject.org.
