Two Vancouver Island men accused of starving a horse and then hanging it to death from a backhoe will make their first court appearance later this month.
David Whiffin and Clayton Cunningham were each charged with animal cruelty after a 27-year-old Appaloosa gelding was found strangled on a Brentwood Bay waterfront property, east of Victoria.
Lynsay Bailey, special constable for the SPCA, told ctvbc.ca the incident is one of the worst cases of animal cruelty she'd seen in her 12-year career.
"It's shocking, just shocking," she said.
"All of the investigators are really upset," cruelty investigation manager Marcie Moriarty said.
Bailey said the horse, Jalupa, was starving when a rope was tied to its neck, looped over the bucket of an excavator and the horse hung to death September 15. Vets have informed her there was no way the animal could have died peacefully.
This isn't the first time the SPCA attended the property. The agency was first alerted to the farm July 29 after receiving an anonymous tip about the animal's welfare.
"The animal was just skin and bones," Bailey said. "Extremely emaciated to the point that it could die."
Bailey said investigators issued Cunningham an order to bring the horse back to health or have it safely euthanized. In B.C. it is legal for an owner to euthanize its animal by bullet as long as they carry a valid firearms permit.
This is the first time the SPCA has dealt with either man. The duo will make their first court appearance November 30 in Victoria.
If convicted, they could each face a fine of $10,000, up to five years in jail and a prohibition on owning animals in the future.
