Please Cross Post
Agriculture Official: Ga. Starvation Case "One of the Worst Situations We've Ever Dealt With"
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=8845
The horses got food Monday when volunteers brought in truckloads of hay and oats.
Kristin Reid, a local horse farm owner, has been trying to round up supplies for the animals. Reid, who was one of the volunteers delivering food, said she counted 98 horses, 65 cows, 65 goats and 50 to 60 dogs. Reid said some of the dogs had been killing the goats and eating them.
Other animals, animal bodies and fresh graves were scattered around the farm.
"It's horrific. I've never seen anything like it," Reid said. "There are dead animals, there are dying animals, there are starving animals everywhere."
98 horses 65 cows 65 goats & 50+ dogs Starving near Atla
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Arctic Cielo
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I read about this at another forum. There were pics of yearlings that were emaciated. The person trying to help at first thought there were about 50 horses.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/ ... IM1190.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/ ... IM1191.jpg
The second one looks like a calf!
and here is what a poster posted if anyone wants to help out!
"Here is the details if you want to help them
The Georgia Department of Agriculture is taking control of about 98 horses in Barnesville, Georgia and they need help in finding places for these, as I understand it is starved neglected horses. I would think that they would need to be someplace in quarantine, but I don't know. If you know of anyone that can "store" a horse please call Kristin Reid 478-719-3164."
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/ ... IM1190.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/ ... IM1191.jpg
The second one looks like a calf!
and here is what a poster posted if anyone wants to help out!
"Here is the details if you want to help them
The Georgia Department of Agriculture is taking control of about 98 horses in Barnesville, Georgia and they need help in finding places for these, as I understand it is starved neglected horses. I would think that they would need to be someplace in quarantine, but I don't know. If you know of anyone that can "store" a horse please call Kristin Reid 478-719-3164."
Since posting this originally, a lot of the Georgia media has published the story. Several TV stations emailed me and said they will be covering the story on the early evening news. Hopefully some of these animals can be saved. Thanks to those who took the time to read this.
http://news.google.com/news?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wn&q=concord+ga+animals&btnG=Search
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/01/31/0201metanimals.html
http://news.google.com/news?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wn&q=concord+ga+animals&btnG=Search
Irvin said he had heard reports that the owners had shot several of the animal last night, but couldn't confirm it
But he said even if he did, it wouldn't be illegal.
"It's legal, but it's not advisable," he said.
Anyone who would like to donate money to the Department of Agriculture's horse rescue fund can call 404-656-3671. Irvin said they also will accept high-quality hay and feed at the farm for the animals.
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/01/31/0201metanimals.html
Arctic Cielo wrote:I read about this at another forum. There were pics of yearlings that were emaciated. The person trying to help at first thought there were about 50 horses.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/ ... IM1190.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/ ... IM1191.jpg
The second one looks like a calf!
and here is what a poster posted if anyone wants to help out!
"Here is the details if you want to help them
The Georgia Department of Agriculture is taking control of about 98 horses in Barnesville, Georgia and they need help in finding places for these, as I understand it is starved neglected horses. I would think that they would need to be someplace in quarantine, but I don't know. If you know of anyone that can "store" a horse please call Kristin Reid 478-719-3164."
There are ALSO horses on a farm in MAYFIELD, Kentucky (not as many as these) but very similar in condition...Last I heard...they couldn't get the cops to do anything and the media was "scared" to print anything.
This goes on all over the place and will get worse with the hay shortage and prices.
Update on Pike County Animal Case Press Release 02/01/2007
http://agr.georgia.gov/00/article/0,2086,38902732_72602847_74914748,00.html
http://agr.georgia.gov/00/article/0,2086,38902732_72602847_74914748,00.html
............Horses are being cared for at the site under the supervision of state veterinarians and staff of the Equine Health Office of the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
This case is particularly challenging because of the number and variety of animals. In addition, Department of Agriculture impound facilities are full and the horses at this Pike County site are currently under quarantine for suspicion of having strangles, a bacterial respiratory disease that is highly contagious to other equine. The horses cannot be moved near other horses...........
..............Irvin said his department's Equine Impound Program receives no state funds. He said those wishing to contribute to the care and feeding of horses could send a check to:
Equine Impound Program Office of Equine Health
Room 143
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Atlanta, 30334.
Please make the check payable to “Georgia Department of Agriculture” and write “Equine Impound Program” in the check’s memo line.
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certifiedgirl
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Found this on another site this evening-
State seizes starving horses
Almost 100 seriously ill animals to be rehabilitated
By SANDRA ECKSTEIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/01/07
The state is seizing nearly 100 horses that were discovered starving last week on a farm north of Macon and is asking the public to help them care for the seriously ill animals.
"We're going to declare this an acute emergency and impound the animals," Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin said Thursday night. "We're going to take full charge of them, their feeding and their care."
Irvin said attempts to get the owners, Roger L. Prater and Bobbie Allison, to care for the animals were not successful and with bad weather the horses were deteriorating. "They're in bad shape," Irvin said. "We think this is serious enough to declare this an emergency. We're notifying the governor's office."
Prater and Allison could not be reached for comment Thursday night.
Investigators and veterinarians from Irvin's office have been on the farm since last week when 98 horses, about 65 cows, 65 goats and 50 to 60 dogs were found in various states of starvation. About 40 of the dogs have been moved from the property into rescue. Irvin said the cows have been sold and will be removed when the weather breaks. But the horses have remained a problem.
Several of the horses have strangles, a highly contagious disease, which means the herd must be quarantined and none of the horses can be moved into barns with other horses. Also, many of the horses are so weak Irvin said they are afraid they will lose some of them if they move them. Earlier this week, Irvin said at least half of the horses scored less than a two on the equine body scoring system of one to nine, meaning they were skin and bones. Several of the animals had been unable to stand for days.
Irvin said his staff had been working on finding a facility to house the horses, but the arrangements weren't final Thursday night. Still, he said, they had to seize the animals to save as many as possible.
"This is going to take a lot of money for the rehabilitative care these horses need," Irvin said. "If the money doesn't come in, we'll be in trouble."
The state has two rehabilitation centers for horses, but they are staffed with volunteers and receive no state funding, depending on donations and fundraising. Irvin said money now donated to the state Equine Impound Program will be used to help the horses being seized from the farm.
The Pike County Sheriff's Department, the district attorney for the Griffin Judicial Circuit, which includes Pike County, and Irvin's office have been cooperating on the investigation, but no charges have yet been brought in the case. Irvin said he hopes the owners are prosecuted "to the limit of the law."
Anyone who would like to donate to the fund can call 404-656-3671 or mail a check to the Equine Impound Program care of Equine Health, Room 143, 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA 30334.
State seizes starving horses
Almost 100 seriously ill animals to be rehabilitated
By SANDRA ECKSTEIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/01/07
The state is seizing nearly 100 horses that were discovered starving last week on a farm north of Macon and is asking the public to help them care for the seriously ill animals.
"We're going to declare this an acute emergency and impound the animals," Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin said Thursday night. "We're going to take full charge of them, their feeding and their care."
Irvin said attempts to get the owners, Roger L. Prater and Bobbie Allison, to care for the animals were not successful and with bad weather the horses were deteriorating. "They're in bad shape," Irvin said. "We think this is serious enough to declare this an emergency. We're notifying the governor's office."
Prater and Allison could not be reached for comment Thursday night.
Investigators and veterinarians from Irvin's office have been on the farm since last week when 98 horses, about 65 cows, 65 goats and 50 to 60 dogs were found in various states of starvation. About 40 of the dogs have been moved from the property into rescue. Irvin said the cows have been sold and will be removed when the weather breaks. But the horses have remained a problem.
Several of the horses have strangles, a highly contagious disease, which means the herd must be quarantined and none of the horses can be moved into barns with other horses. Also, many of the horses are so weak Irvin said they are afraid they will lose some of them if they move them. Earlier this week, Irvin said at least half of the horses scored less than a two on the equine body scoring system of one to nine, meaning they were skin and bones. Several of the animals had been unable to stand for days.
Irvin said his staff had been working on finding a facility to house the horses, but the arrangements weren't final Thursday night. Still, he said, they had to seize the animals to save as many as possible.
"This is going to take a lot of money for the rehabilitative care these horses need," Irvin said. "If the money doesn't come in, we'll be in trouble."
The state has two rehabilitation centers for horses, but they are staffed with volunteers and receive no state funding, depending on donations and fundraising. Irvin said money now donated to the state Equine Impound Program will be used to help the horses being seized from the farm.
The Pike County Sheriff's Department, the district attorney for the Griffin Judicial Circuit, which includes Pike County, and Irvin's office have been cooperating on the investigation, but no charges have yet been brought in the case. Irvin said he hopes the owners are prosecuted "to the limit of the law."
Anyone who would like to donate to the fund can call 404-656-3671 or mail a check to the Equine Impound Program care of Equine Health, Room 143, 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA 30334.
See! THIS IS WHY there needs to be tax deductions ALLOWED for people who take care of their animals and SEVERE penaties (jail, fines, prohibition from ever owning animals AND repayment of all prior tax deductions) for those that abuse or neglect their animals. A simple reward for GOOD behavior and punishment and accountability for BAD behavior. Animals AID society in many ways, from stress relief, to longevity of their owners, TO ECONOMIC windfall for the government from all the money spent by people who care about their animals!
With a reward/punish tax program regarding animal care, ONLY the people who do bad things to animals HAVE TO PAY for the result of having to rescue and rehab or dispose of them, NOT the rest of society who does good things and THEN GETS SCREWED by people who don't take care of animals. Save the money for the obviousl MENTAL HEALTH care these people clearly need.
The damn government doesn't realize that people that treat animals well, generally don't go around draining society's resources in other ways like crime, negligence, etc! But those that mistreat animals, GENERALLY drain the hell out of society's resources. PLUS...as an added bonus, they leave victims, both animal and human in their wake
With a reward/punish tax program regarding animal care, ONLY the people who do bad things to animals HAVE TO PAY for the result of having to rescue and rehab or dispose of them, NOT the rest of society who does good things and THEN GETS SCREWED by people who don't take care of animals. Save the money for the obviousl MENTAL HEALTH care these people clearly need.
The damn government doesn't realize that people that treat animals well, generally don't go around draining society's resources in other ways like crime, negligence, etc! But those that mistreat animals, GENERALLY drain the hell out of society's resources. PLUS...as an added bonus, they leave victims, both animal and human in their wake
Update from an email received:
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=8872
Subject: Update on Pike County Horses - Requested Supplies - Request for Volunteers
Friends of the Pike County Horses,
The remaining horses from Pike County were impounded last night and the total count is 99. We were fortunate that all of them made the trip safe and sound. Although some continue to have signs of respiratory illness, all are now resting comfortably in individual stalls and are receiving food, water and veterinary attention. A State Agriculture Response Team was activated over the weekend and we must thank the team members from the GA Department of Agriculture, the GA Forestry Commission, the USDA Veterinary Services, and the University of Georgia for their rapid response. We also thank the volunteers from the Georgia Equine Rescue League and the Humane Society of the United States and others who volunteered their time to assist us on short notice.
REQUEST FOR SUPPLIES FOR THE COMING WEEK:
Following is the list of needed supplies for this coming week. You can drop these off at any of the three Horse Town locations (Locust Grove, Marietta, Snellville), or at the TC Supply on Hwy 20 in Canton.
Pyrantel Pamoate wormer (ex - Strongid)
Fenbendazole wormer (ex - Panacur, Safe Guard)
Psyllium powder (not pellets or cumbles) labeled for horses (ex - Sand Blast, Sand Clear)
Digest Aid
REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR THE COMING WEEK:
The Department will need volunteers to assist with cleaning stalls and barn chores for the coming week. We need 8 volunteers for the morning shift of 8 am - 12 noon, and 8 volunteers for the afternoon shift of 1 pm - 5 pm. Volunteers for any length of time are appreciated. Volunteers must complete a volunteer application packet with the Personnel Office and be approved by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. For security reasons, no self-deployed volunteer will be allowed on the property.
REQUEST FOR MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS:
Feeding and caring for 99 horses will certainly demand significant costs, and the Georgia Department of Agriculture does not receive state dollars to pay for feed, equipment and supplies. So, monetary donations are greatly appreciated in order to purchase the necessary resources to nurse them back to health.
To send a tax deductible donation to the general Equine Impound Program, please send a check to:
Georgia Department of Agriculture
Office of Equine Health, Room 143
19 MLK Jr., Drive
Atlanta, GA 30334
Place in the memo line "Equine Impound Program"
Many thanks to the Georgia Equine Rescue League who is managing the logistics of feed and hay. This is a huge task! To send a tax deductible donation which may be earmarked for this specific case, send a check to:
Georgia Equine Rescue League
PO Box 787
Locust Grove, GA 30248
Place in the memo line "Pike County Impound"
Again, thank you for the outpouring of help for these poor animals. Be looking for a situation report from the Department of Agriculture at approximately 2 pm tomorrow (Monday, February 5). You will find all press releases and situation reports on the Department website at www.agr.georgia.gov under "news and events" on the homepage.
LMM
Lee M. Myers, DVM, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM
State Veterinarian
Assistant Commissioner of Animal Industry
Georgia Department of Agriculture
19 MLK Jr., Drive
Atlanta, GA 30334
Office: 404-656-3671
Fax: 404-657-1357
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=8872
Updates
A Pike County couple was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals Friday — a week after 99 horses and 29 dogs were removed from their 600-acre farm.
Roger Prater, 56, was in Pike County Jail Friday afternoon. His wife, Bobbie Allison, 70, was released on bond, their attorney Virgil Brown said.
Prater and Allison were each charged with 100 counts of cruelty to animals, and one count each of animal running at large and improper disposal of a livestock carcass.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
In addition to the Pike County charges, there is an active felony warrant for Prater's arrest in Tennessee.
The warrant charges that Prater bought but did not pay for horses while at an auction in Tennessee. Authorities there are waiting to extradite him.
Complete story: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/02/09/0210methorses.html
Sesiure of animals challenged: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/02/08/0209methorses.html