By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

AFTER the death of two horses amidst claims of cruelty and neglect, the Bahamas Humane Society rescued five malnourished horses in Eleuthera last week.

The BHS called on the government to legislate greater authority and support from the watch-dog organization on matters related to animal rights, specifically licensing and monitoring.

A criminal complaint reporting animal cruelty and neglect has been filed with Eleuthera police, according to BHS board member Peter Feldman, who said he expected charges to be brought against the owner sometime this month.

Mr Feldman said: “The Humane Society needs to take a bigger role in this picture and I think the government needs to let us know when someone is trying to bring horses into the country so at least we can know they exist and we can watch them.”

“The BHS,” he said, “is there protecting every animal day-in and day-out, not just dogs and cats. We will be there for you, we will find a way to go and rescue any animal, whatever it takes if it’s being abused. You can clearly see that these animals were heavily abused.” 

According to reports, seven horses were imported to Wemyss Bight in April as part of an eco-tourism venture. However, Mr Feldman said, the society was not aware of the horses until residents sounded the alarm over poor conditions. 

On October 3, a team of six – affectionately dubbed “the Eleuthera Horse Angels” – loaded three trucks and three trailers onto the SeaWind ferry. Despite an initial setback, the horses were located and safely transported with assistance from local police. 

There were three mares – three-year-old Pina, five-year-old Colada, and seven-year-old Orchid - and two geldings, 16-year-old Jessie and 13-year-old Lucky.

Of the five rescued horses, Pina was the weakest, according to Mr Feldman, who said that the veterinarian determined she would not have survived another week in that environment.

Mr Feldman said the costly venture would not have been possible without corporate sponsorship from Bahamas Ferries, Good Fellow Farms, La Hipica, and Palmdale Veterinary Clinic.

He added: “Thank God for Bahamas Ferries, they held the ferry for us for seven hours so that we could get on there and get back the same day so the horses would not stress out. They really stepped up to the plate, along with many others.”

According to Mr Feldman, there was no shelter for the horses on the premises, with the exception of a short lived “lean-to”, and no running water. Mr Feldman said that in the week before the emergency rescue, the BHS had to send hay for the horses because the owner could not provide food. He added that the horses often suffered days without water, which had to be trucked to the location.

Kim Aranha, president of the BHS, said: “It is not good enough to just ascertain that the horse in question is healthy. If a person wishes to import a horse into our country they should first have a stable in place, with adequate housing and paddock space. The promise of ‘we are going to build one’ should not be acceptable.”

She added: “Persons importing horses into the Bahamas should have to prove that they have the funds to keep a horse. Horse maintenance is a very expensive activity. This rescue has cost the BHS large sums of money that we honestly do not have.”

Before last week’s emergency rescue, BHS Chief Inspector Percy Grant inspected the horses on August 7, and again on September 25. During the August visit, Mr Grant provided caretakers with an action plan for caring for the animals, who he said were in poor condition due to inadequate food, water, and shelter. However when Mr Grant returned in September, he discovered that the horses had continued to deteriorate in health, with one fatality.

Two days after the September inspection, a second horse died and another collapsed from dehydration. 

Bahamas Humane Society consultant Jim Crosby and a local veterinarian immediately flew out to Eleuthera to revive the dehydrated horse and were able to stabilize the remaining horses. At that time, Mr Feldman said the owners surrendered the horses to the Bahamas Humane Society permanently.

Both deceased horses were burned openly at the rear of the premises, according to Mr Feldman.

The emergency rescue follows renewed calls from the BHS over the condition of surrey horses in New Providence.

Transport Minister Glenys Hanna Martin has confirmed that widespread reform of the surrey industry could be realised within the next two months, with talks between owners and regulators progressing smoothly.

Interested persons can contact the Bahamas Humane Society at 242-323-5238, visit the website at www.bahamashumanesociety.com or visit the Shelter on Chippingham Road in Nassau to donate or get involved.