Tiny nick proves fatal for miniature pony
One of the smallest of 41 stab wounds suffered by a small pony in a ‘‘sickening’’ attack killed him.
Ten-year-old Star died yesterday in the early hours from injuries to the neck and back, despite a five-hour operation stitching his wounds. A dog walker had discovered him bleeding on the road near Waitati, just north of Dunedin, on Monday.
Otago Equine Hospital veterinarian Peter Gillespie, who cared for Star, said in his 39 years as a vet he had never seen such serious animal cruelty. It was ‘‘quite sickening’’, he said. Some of the cuts were 100mm deep.
‘‘We see a lot of injured horses . . . but nothing like [this] where there’s intentional harm inflicted by a human.’’
He confirmed one of the stab wounds had penetrated Star’s abdominal wall and ‘‘nicked’’ his bowel, which ended up killing him. ‘‘. . . One of the smallest stab incisions, which was only about a centimetre and a half long and only required a couple of stitches, was the one that penetrated.’’
Gillespie had reflected on what kind of trauma the pony had gone through, and questioned the attacker’s mindset.
‘‘We’re talking about an animal that is universally loved . . . everyone admires horses – they’ve been a part of our human existence forever.’’
An Otago Equine Hospital spokeswoman said staff worked tirelessly through the night to save Star’s life. ‘‘It’s exceptionally sad, but everything was done that could be done. He was exceptionally stoic.’’
She hoped the perpetrator was found soon.
‘‘Sadly, it’s someone who very disturbed.’’
Star’s owner, Mandy MayhemBullock, pulled her children out of school yesterday morning to tell them the news, the spokeswoman said.
A fundraising page has closed. The donations would be used to pay the vet bill for Star’s treatment, it said. About $8000 was raised. Gillespie said it could cover the vet fees twice over.
Senior Constable Lesley Eason said police were investigating. They had visited the scene. SPCA inspectors were helping police with their investigation, chief executive Andrea Midgen said.
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