An investigation is underway in Melide for animal abandonment and abuse. Two men are currently being investigated by the authorities, with one of them being detained, for leaving six horses in the town of Melide in a famished state, with some of them dead and others euthanized, as reported by the Civil Guard on Saturday.
One of the suspects, a resident of Melide, has been accused of abandoning and mistreating at least four animals, as well as violating a court order, impersonation, and making threats. He has been placed in prison by judicial decision. The other suspect, a resident of Toques, is being investigated for abandoning and mistreating two animals, making threats, and endangering road safety.
The investigation began in September of last year after cases of animal abandonment and mistreatment resulting in death were detected in the Melide region, according to the Civil Guard. The authorities received information that some horses were «roaming outside the boundaries of the farms without any kind of control,» posing a «risk to road safety,» with at least one road accident occurring when a car collided with a donkey owned by one of the suspects.
Furthermore, complaints were made about horses «grazing in private fields belonging to others, causing significant damage to existing crops.» Even more concerning, officers discovered «carcasses of abandoned horses in an advanced state of decomposition» on several farms and plots owned by the two suspects, posing «bio-security risks to the rest of the fauna, both domestic and wild,» as noted by the Civil Guard.
Additionally, some animals were found in «a state of severe emaciation and in an agonizing state,» leading the veterinary services of the Xunta to euthanize them due to their irrecoverable condition. The Civil Guard, which has a specialized environmental unit called Seprona, also found that one of the suspects was posting ads on the internet and social media for the sale of animals, despite being «disqualified from trading and owning animals by a court order.»
This investigation sheds light on the cruel treatment that these horses faced, as well as the disregard for animal welfare and the law demonstrated by the suspects. It serves as a reminder of the importance of responsible animal ownership and the consequences of neglect and mistreatment. The authorities are working diligently to ensure that justice is served and that measures are taken to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.