Horses left to die in muddy field as experts warn of devastation to Britain's fields

This is an old news story but I thought if of it as I drove past a field of horses and ponies yesterday. Some of these animals seem to have nobody checking up on them regularly?
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More than 21,000 join a Facebook campaign to save horses left to die in muddy field as experts warn of devastation to Britain's wildlife because of the floods

Badly decomposed horse found in a field in Leicester while a second one with severe injuries was later put down
Study warns that pesticides in floodwater pose a deadly threat to animals


Animal lovers have launched a Facebook campaign after a photo of a dead horse left to rot in a paddock beside a busy road was posted online.

More than 21,000 people have signed up to demand action against the traveller who grazes horses on the land before selling them for food on the continent.

When the RSPCA visited the field, a second horse had to be put down because its condition was deteriorating so badly.

But the charity said it was unable to start an investigation into suspected animal neglect because a vet had ruled there was not clear evidence that the horses were suffering unnecessarily.

The decision disappointed farrier Mark Johnson, who launched the Facebook campaign after spotting the horses as he drove past the field  in Leicester.

He said: ‘It was a horrendous sight. I first saw what I thought was a horse lying down in the field which was very strange because they would normally try to stay on their feet when it is so wet.

‘As I got closer I realised it was a decomposing corpse.

‘It had been left there to rot. It was an awful thing. I also saw another horse lying down at the end of the field in water. We tried for a while to get it up and out but it was too exhausted.’

He alerted the RSPCA and fire brigade and it eventually took six firemen to pull the horse free using straps and pulleys, but it had to be put down.

Mr Johnson, 51, said: ‘It’s like derelict land, completely unsuitable for keeping horses.

‘There is loose barbed wire and collapsed fencing strewn around which they could get stuck in, causing them to panic.

‘These horses end up as food, but they are still horses and deserve to be well looked after.

‘I want to see a change in the law to ensure horses get better treatment and protection.’

Picture on link but please be warned, they're very graphic and highly upsetting:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2561399/Who-left-horses-die-flooded-fields-Shocking-pictures-decomposing-animals-experts-warn-devastation-Britains-wildlife.html

Who would just leave animals to die like that???

eddie wrote:Who would just leave animals to die like that???

Animals should have legal rights, just like humans