From staff reports
news@joplinglobe.com
GALENA, Kan. — Cherokee County officials rescued three horses and two burros from a private pasture in rural Galena on Saturday morning after finding that they had no food or water, Sheriff David Groves said.
He also said at least one horse “that had been dead for some time” was discovered on the property.
Groves declined to name the owner, saying the investigation is ongoing.
Groves said he was assisted on the scene by a local veterinarian, who determined that the horses’ condition was not a medical one but one caused by a lack of food and water.
A neighbor, Jane Starina, who was at the site Saturday morning, said she saw at least three dead horses on the property.
Starina first called the sheriff’s department about the horses Monday, after finding they had “no food whatsoever,” she said.
“They had no hay,” she said. “They were eating dirt; they were eating feces and whatever they could find.”
Starina said she then was in touch with the department on and off all week and finally reached Groves on Friday.
Groves said his office was contacted several days ago, but he said he didn’t know of any calls that were made about the horses before that.
He said when his office receives such a call, he and his deputies typically contact the owner first to give them a chance to rectify the problem.
“In this case, the owner hadn’t taken care of it, and that’s why we had to step in,” Groves said.
He said he will try Monday to find a permanent location for the five rescued animals, which have been taken to a private ranch in the county.
