BC SPCA seizes 129 cattle found on property with 'numerous' dead cows

The BC SPCA is recommending animal cruelty charges after seizing 129 cows from a property in the south Similkameen Valley, where "numerous carcasses of dead cows" were also found.

In a news release Friday, the animal welfare organization said the "neglected" cattle were part of two separate seizures from a Cawston, B.C., property where the cows were being kept in "substandard conditions" with no access to shelter or protection from the elements.

"The pens where the cattle were kept were deep in mud, water and manure, which covered the animals up their legs and bodies," said Eileen Drever, senior officer of protection and stakeholder relations for the BC SPCA.

"The cows did not have adequate food or drinking water and were struggling to move through the mud."

Drever said the animals were also suffering from a range of medical issues, including untreated eye infections, mastitis, lameness, overgrown hooves and diarrhea.

"Some of the cattle appeared to have been injured by broken fencing around the pens as well," she said.

Drever added that the cattle are currently in the care of the BC SPCA and the investigation is ongoing.