New homes found for 40 impounded horses thanks to social media drive

New homes have been found for almost half of the 85 horses seized and impounded in Cork last week in one of the biggest roundups of its kind in the country.

Up to 60 gardaí and employees of Cork City Council and the Department of Agriculture were involved in the day-long operation which focused on four sites in Cork.

Fifteen of the horses were euthanised, and 30 later returned to their owners. The remaining 40 have been taken from Cork to the Kerry-based charity Animal Heaven Animal Rescue (AHAR) where homes for all of them have been found.

Tralee-based veterinary surgeon Danny Holmes confirmed the horses had been relocated from the pound in Cork to the charity where paperwork, including equine passports, were being finalised.

'Fantastic success'
"The fact that homes have been found for these 40 horses is heartening. It's a fantastic success and a credit to all involved in the operation," Mr Holmes said.

The horses seized in Cork were in varying states of health but their ailments were complicated due to malnutrition.

"A lot of their problems were minor – we're talking about skin infections, chest infections, sore eyes and lameness. But when these are occurring in malnourished animals they are significant," Mr Holmes said.

Dumped carcasses
The dumped carcasses of four horses were located as part of the operation, which was launched after concerns were expressed about animal welfare and the problems caused by stray horses on public property on the north side of Cork.

AHAR rescue workers lined up 55 possible homes for the horses. The group, which has more than 26,000 followers on Facebook, conducted much of the rehoming work through the social networking site.

Facebook campaign
"A lot of people were coming forward through Facebook, mostly family units interested in taking horses, usually as a rescue and not with any specific purpose in mind.

“I hope this is a model that will be repeated in other parts of the country,” Mr Holmes said.