The horse was ‘discarded like rubbish’, says the animal welfare charity
The horse’s body was discovered in Slacky Lane, Walsall(Image: Google)
The RSPCA has launched an investigation after the body of a horse was found callously dumped at the side of a road in Walsall.
The black and white horse was found on a grass verge in Slacky Lane just days before Christmas on Saturday, December 20.
Its legs were tied with blue rope and the animal also had rope around its neck.
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RSPCA investigators suspect the horse was driven to the location in a trailer or a truck and then tied to a post before those responsible drove away, dragging its body out of the vehicle onto the floor.
The horse didn’t appear to have any obvious wounds, the charity said, and it was not known if the animal was dead when dumped.
RSPCA animal rescue officer Georgie Mackie said: “It’s incredibly sad to think this poor horse had died and then those who were meant to care for them just dumped their body for somebody else to deal with in such a public place. It’s so distressing and hugely irresponsible.
“While we do not know the cause of death, or if the horse was dead or alive at the time they were dumped, we’re keen to find out more about the circumstances.
“We want to find out how their body came to be dumped here and who owned them, as the way in which the body was disposed of is suspicious.
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“Anyone with information can contact the RSPCA in complete confidence on our inspector appeal line by calling 0300 123 8018 and quoting incident 01700561.”
A spokesperson for the charity added: “Sadly, it’s not uncommon for the RSPCA and other equine welfare charities to be called about gravely ill, abandoned horses, and dumped dead horses.
“Disposing of a horse’s body has cost implications which means dead horses are often discarded like rubbish.
“Reports of animals being abandoned have sky-rocketed this year – with incidents raised with the RSPCA rising by more than 23 percent in the first ten months of the year, ahead of a potentially ‘grim’ Winter for pets.
“Up to the end of October, 24,270 incidents about an animal being abandoned or dumped had been raised with the charity’s emergency line – up from 19,727 in the first 10 months of 2024.
“It means – in the first ten months of this year – an abandonment incident was reported to the RSPCA every nine minutes its emergency line was open.”