THE IRISH Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) is being swamped by calls on abandoned or unwanted horses which has reached unprecedented levels.
A combination of the recession and recent bad weather has led to widescale abandonment of horses right across the State, according to Barbara Bent, chairperson of the ISPCA.
Launching a nationwide appeal to highlight the equine crisis, she said the number of calls to the ISPCA on horse issues had risen from 9 per cent to 52 per cent by the end of 2009.
“It is now at a record high of 70 per cent and we are getting frequent reports of abandoned, starving and neglected animals,” she said.
Last week, in Finglas, Dublin, she said, youngsters had attempted to burn an injured horse to death by setting fire to the straw which had been put over it for protection. This animal had to be put down.
“The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals continuously strives to help injured, emaciated and cruelly treated animals, including horses, but the society does not have the facilities or finance to deal with all the horses that are no longer wanted by their owners,” she said.
“There is a misconception that the ISPCA is responsible for abandoned horses and the society wishes to clarify this issue,” she added.
“Horses which stray on to the road or common ground, or who have been deliberately dumped, are the responsibility of their owners, assuming they can be found,” she said.
“If an owner cannot be found, the responsibility falls to the relevant Local Authority, or the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which receives €2 million for this purpose from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, under the Control of Horses Act 1996,” she said.
Ms Bent appealed for donations to the organisation and asked the public to contact the National Animal Helpline on 1890 515 515, or their local ISPCA, to report any instances of suffering animals.