A man in Cocke County, Tennessee, has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty and two counts of neglect after the sheriff's department rescued two starving horses from his pasture.
Feeding time for starving horses
The pasture where the horses were kept was mostly dirt and mud with no food available, and the only water on the property was a stagnant pond with mud, algae and bug larva.
The horses were so underweight that their hip, shoulder bones and ribs showed through their skin.
Sheriff Armando Fontes said the pasture where the horses were kept was mostly dirt and mud with no food available. The only water available on the property was a stagnant pond with mud, algae and bug larva. Although there was a shelter on the property, Sheriff Fontes said it was closed off by rope and a metal gate, so the horses couldn't get to it.
"I don't understand. I don't know why people will allow an animal to get in such a state. We all, as owners of different types of animals, have a responsibility to take care of and meet their needs. Because they're very dependent upon their environment," said Fontes.
A veterinarian examined the horses and told deputies they were 200 pounds underweight. The horses were covered with multiple fly bites and in need of hoof trimming.
The horses were taken to an animal rescue shelter in Cocke County and the horses are being fed and nursed back to good health.