We are failing our animal friends

Over the past few weeks we have learnt of the horrific cruelty inflicted on a number of Irish horses that subsequently resulted in their deaths. Who could fail to be moved by the distressing picture of the horse in Wicklow lying on the ground, legs broken after a severe beating, eventually euthanised while her foal stood nearby?

This was not an isolated incident. It follows the horse burnt to death in Dublin, (the jury is still out on whether she was burnt before or after her death) and the grisly discovery on the farm on the Monaghan/Tyrone border of several horses starved to death and many others found in appalling conditions. Hundreds are starving to death across the country in a nation which claims to be animal lovers. What a shameful indictment of our record in animal welfare.

The accounts of the suffering endured by these animals have resulted in an outpouring of anger and disgust by the public. Hundreds of comments posted on social media sites reflect an outrage that the individuals who carried out these appalling acts will not be brought to justice; they appear to be above the law, are never held accountable and certainly go unpunished. Political correctness has gone mad, words such as class discrimination are bandied about, and everyone runs scared, allowing these people to continue to wreak havoc and fear into the lives of humans and animals. In general our perception of the law is that it rarely champions the plight of the victim, but rather instead protects the accused.