AR-News: Horse Rescue Effort Gone Awry; Community Support Urgently Needed

[United Animal Nations]

Horse Rescue Effort Gone Awry; Community Support Urgently Needed
28 foals saved from slaughter only to become victims of cruelty

Contact: Kathy George

Public Relations Director

(434) 384-9465

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




May 1, 2004 (Bernville, PA) - On April 19, 2004, a shipment of 28 foals
rescued from certain slaughter, boarded a truck at a North Dakota feedlot
headed for new homes in Georgia and Florida. Bernville-based equine rescue
group Another Chance 4 Horses Rescue and Placement (“AC4H”) had arranged for
22 of the horses’ adoption and transport, and awaited the truck’s first
scheduled drop in Summerville, Georgia.



At 8:30 p.m. on April 22, the truck pulled up to the scheduled drop and what
was found inside the trailer horrified everyone. When the trailer door was
opened, one foal’s head fell and hung out of the truck, a second was seen
dead and bloated and the rest were wading through knee-high urine and
manure. Once the horses were unloaded, many of the foals were discovered to
have deep lacerations and other injuries most likely caused by lack of
driving experience and inattention during the 26-hour ordeal.



Christy Sheidy, Secretary of AC4H, who received a middle of the night call,
was shocked. "It's like putting your children on the school bus in the
morning. You don't have control, but you think they will be fine. That is
what I thought when we sent these foals off to their new homes."



The police were called and veterinarians with the State of Georgia’s
Agriculture Department were summoned to the scene. The driver of the truck
did not possess a valid commercial drivers’ license and had never driven a
manual transmission prior to making this long trek. He had never transported
horses and had failed to stop at any border or weigh stations along the way.
He was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals. Additional criminal
charges are also being investigated. The horses and his truck were seized by
State authorities.



The horses were taken to an undisclosed location and are currently in the
care of the State of Georgia. The State has assured AC4H that the horses
will be released within seven to ten days and permitted to undergo a
State-imposed quarantine on the property of a licensed Georgia equine rescue
organization, in coordination with AC4H.



“The local authorities and the State of Georgia have done a great job
mitigating what was a horrible situation,” said Rick Sheidy, AC4H President,
who has been saving and placing equines in new homes for seven years. “But
they are charging us $10 per horse each day while in their care and that
doesn’t include the costs of the veterinary care, transportation and
autopsies. Already the bill has exceeded $2,000 and we’re facing months of
boarding, feed and veterinary care until the quarantine expires in 90 days
or more.”



Two national animal welfare organizations, United Animal Nations (UAN) and
the American Society for the Protection of Animals (ASPCA) have assisted
during this crisis. They’ve pledged ongoing support to help with the care of
the horses.



“But we need more help from those in the community who care about horses,”
continued Mr. Sheidy. “The folks who adopted these babies already dug deep
to pay for adoption and transport fees. And it will be months, if ever,
before we are able to lawfully collect what this transportation company owes
us for this mess.”



AC4H is a recognized Pennsylvania non-profit corporation and is in the
process of obtaining 501(c)(3) status under the Internal Revenue Code.
Donations can be made directly to AC4H or tax-deductible donations can be
made to United Animal Nations, a registered 501(c)(3), by sending donations
c/o GEORGIA FOALS, United Animal Nations, PO Box 188890, Sacramento, CA
95818.


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