Councillor reduced to tears in field of dead horses and a starving foal
A COUNCILLOR has spoken of her horror at walking into a field with dead and severely malnourished horses.
Catherine Carey said she broke down in tears at the sight of seven dead horses on abandoned land near Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
A young malnourished horse was even seen eating part of a wooden fence while crows picked at the dead remains.
The Sinn Féin representative described what she saw as “an open cemetery for dead horses”.
Ms Carey said: “It first came to my attention on Sunday night through Facebook. Even though I thought there were only one or two dead horses, I still couldn’t sleep that night.
“I got straight onto the council on Monday morning and they assured me that they would travel to the site.”
Ms Carey decided to visit the field the next day to see the scene for herself.
“When I got there, I was absolutely horrified,” she told the Irish Independent.
“There were seven horses in total that had died of malnutrition and many more skeletal remains.
“A foal was even eating part of a wooden fence because he was so hungry.
“There was another just standing next to its dead mother, which had crows picking at her remains.
“It was such a traumatising site and I broke down in tears. There was another lady there who even vomited at the sight.”
The field is understood to be owned by Nama, but the identity of the horses’ owner remains unclear.
“I have to commend the council for responding so fast to my request,” added Ms Carey. “In this day and age, it tears the heart out of me to see how cruel humans can be.”
The RSPCA and a vet were also called to the field and removed the remaining horses from the site. It is understood that they will be given new homes.
Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath said he had contacted gardaí about the matter.