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Neglected foal 'showing recovery' | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
A two-month-old foal saved from a site where 32 horses were found dead amongst dozens of neglected ponies and donkeys is recovering, rescuers have said. | |
The foal, named Esther, was taken to Norfolk-based Redwings Animal Sanctuary for urgent care after it was found at a farm in Amersham, Bucks, by the RSPCA. | |
About 80 animals were found living in a squalid state alongside the dead horses last week, the charity said. | |
Despite a poor start in life Esther has done well, a Redwings spokeswoman said. | |
"She is playful today and that is a really good sign. | |
"We think she must be the youngest one they found," the spokeswoman at Redwings dedicated horse-hospital in Hapton said. | |
Mistreatment on this scale is unprecedented in Britain Lee Hackett, British Horse Society | |
Esther and her mother were taken to the centre, along with 21 horses, ponies and donkeys rescued from the Amersham farm. | |
RSPCA officers described how dozens of dead horses had been piled up against fences at the farm, with workers describing the scene as the worst they had encountered. | |
Three horses were put down at the farm, and the emaciated animals which were rescued were taken to sanctuaries across the country. | |
"Some of them just won't let anyone near them at all," the Redwings spokeswoman said. | |
"We have to put those through a gradual handling programme and let them recover before we eventually release them into a herd. | |
"Redwings Horse Sanctuary had travelled to rescues on many occasions but rarely sees cruelty so far advanced that equines are seemingly forgotten and literally left to die." | |
Man charged | |
Lee Hackett, the British Horse Society's welfare senior executive, said: "Mistreatment on this scale is unprecedented in Britain - the true horror of the situation is only now becoming clear." | |
James Gray, 44, of Amersham, was arrested after the animals were found at the farm. | |
He has been charged with criminal damage and assaulting a police officer and is due before Aylesbury Magistrates court on Monday. | |
Police would not confirm how he was connected to the operation. |