Horses found starved to death on abandoned golf course

FOUR horses starved to death on an abandoned golf course near Cork city.

And at least 10 other emaciated horses or ponies were running wild on the site outside Blarney yesterday.

Gardaí and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) were last night trying to trace those responsible for what one animal welfare inspector described as “an appalling and distressing” case.

The situation at the former Blarney Golf Course was reported to the ISPCA last week.

Inspector Lisa O’Donovan found the rotting carcasses of four horses lying at various locations on the 200-acre site. There were at least 10 other abandoned brown horses, including yearlings and ponies, all malnourished and running wild.

“One dead animal is an issue. Two is a definite welfare issue. But four is appalling. There could be more,” she said.

“This is definitely not something you like to see. There have been appalling cases, but the number of dead horses here is more than I’ve seen before.”

The cause of death has not been established. But the recent cold weather, combined with the fact that there is no food for the horses, is probably to blame.

“We have been supplying feed to them, but we are a charity and just don’t have the necessary resources to do this full-time,” Ms O’Donovan said.

The ISPCA’s two equine rescue centres – the National Animal Centre in Keenagh, Co Longford, and the Victor Dowling Centre in Mallow, Co Cork, – have capacity for 80 horses, but only have space for two more.

The ISPCA can only remove animals if they are deemed to be suffering. In the case of abandoned animals, the charity is legally bound to find the owners.

Ms O’Donovan said the animals have no micro-chips and despite several attempts by the gardaí and the ISPCA, they have been unable to trace the owners.

The matter has now been reported to the county council.

There had been reports of abandoned animals on this site during the summer. There were also several complaints about some 22 horses abandoned at nearby Waterloo.

One of the animals that had an eye injury was removed by the ISPCA last night.

“Horse welfare issue is becoming a major issue for us,” Ms O’Donovan said. “People bought horses during the boom and now they can’t afford to sell them or afford to keep them.”