The SPCA seized three horses in Roberts Creek last month, after they were found roaming free and in poor condition.
“We couldn’t just let them be stray and there was some concern about the condition of the animals, that’s why we got involved,” said Shawn Eccles, senior manager of cruelty investigations for the SPCA.
“They were in pretty poor condition. One of them had to be euthanized. It actually met the condition of critical distress.”
He said all of the horses were very thin and underweight and that the horse that was put down was suffering from “a number of injuries that had not been treated.”
“The other two are still in our custody at this point,” Eccles said, noting the horses were transferred from the Sunshine Coast to the SPCA in Surrey, which is well equipped for equines.
Eccles said residents in the Roberts Creek area were instrumental in alerting the SPCA to the horses in distress and helping track down the owner.
The SPCA has since made phone contact with the owner but a formal interview has yet to be scheduled.
“We would like to give the owner an opportunity [through the interview] to explain why the animals were in the condition they were in and then once that occurs, the officer will work up a file,” Eccles said.
“It could be a while. I’d like to say it will be right away, but there’s just no way. Our caseloads are just too high.”
If a charge is laid, it could come with up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $75,000, as well as a possible lifetime ban from owning animals, according to Eccles.
The SPCA is the only animal welfare organization in B.C. that has the authority to enforce laws relating to animal cruelty and to recommend charges to Crown counsel for the prosecution of people who inflict suffering on animals.
