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Man Charged With Animal Cruelty For Malnourished Horses
September 20, 2013
An Escambia County man has been arrested in connection with two malnourished horses recently rescued by the Cantonment-based Panhandle Equine Rescue. We first reported about the horses last Friday.
And now 41-year old Marcus James McCreary is facing two animal cruelty charges. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail Thursday afternoon and later released on a $7,500 bond.
PER received a report that a very thin horse was down in McCreary’s yard on Bowman Avenue, just off Nine Mile Road. PER and Escambia County Animal Control responded and found two Tennessee Walking Horses in poor condition. One was unable to get up on her own.
The owner voluntarily signed ownership of the horses over to PER. The horses, mares named Capona and Sweet Mary, are mother and daughter, according to PER President Diane Lowery. PER reports both horses are continuing to improve, gaining over 20 pounds each. They are expected to be back to full health in about three months.
Pictured: Sweet Mary and Capona shortly after they were rescued from a home on Bowman Avenue. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
15 Responses to “Man Charged With Animal Cruelty For Malnourished Horses”
How sad!! This individual was so dumb that he did not realize the horses needed more. Let’s put him out in the field helpless to rely on someone to feed and water him and see how he survives (give him somebody as stupid as he was).
Until we make the punishment more aggressive we will see more of this on any animal!!!
Ignorance for these horses being starved is not an excuse. I’ve read several comments that the horses are expected to recover. This is not always the case. If these horses were not dewormed properly, they could have damage from the parasites that can not be detected. They will never be healthy. How do I know this? I rescued a mare 2 mos ago that was starved and needed 200+ lbs. When I took her to my Veterinarian and blood work was done, she had extensive kidney damage and liver damage. The kidney damage was caused by severe dehydration. She will never be healthy, ever! I know she had worms, because she passed dead worms in her manure after deworming. She would not be able to handle the stress of riding or performance. Luckily, I found a home where she will never be ridden or starved. She is one of the lucky ones. Horses are expensive to own and care for. Good quality feed is more like $18.00 for a 50 lb bag. I’m glad these mares were rescued; just doesn’t mean they will recover from this neglect………
I would like to point out that just “hay and water” may be OK IF AND ONLY IF the animal is healthy and getting ENOUGH hay to sustain its size and weight (15 to 20 lbs. per day)….and of decent QUALITY, not junky hay. Judging from the mares’ conditions, this was obviously NOT the case.
Make him live the way he treated these animals.p
oh please dont blame this horrible starving of horses on IGNORANCE….he is a human being…a intelligent level far more superior than the poor horse who could not speak out and tell him how painfully the horses were suffering.
@ unbridled – Ignorance or not, this is ridiculous. You can’t tell me that the man didn’t notice his horses didn’t look right. I have friends that don’t know the first thing about horses but they know they should be fat and pretty, not look like a bag of bones walking around. It is very possible that he may not have known how to fatten them up but a quick trip to any feed store would be the first step. Or calling someone for help. He had to notice their ribs are showing, their hips are showing, their backbones are sticking out…but I doubt that his are. It is common sense that animals should not be this thin. Again, ignorance or not this is unacceptable.
I am not sure if you have been following PER’s rescue page on Facebook, but it clearly details how much of a struggle Capona has had just getting on her feet. It takes a healthy horse quite a bit of effort to get up just because of the sheer amount of energy it takes to get that much body from laying to standing. I would hope that he would have noticed her struggling to get up and thought, “maybe something isn’t right here.”
Maybe I am just mean, but I don’t think ignorance is applicable when the case is this extreme. A couple hundred pounds underweight, ok. This? This is horrendous.
@Bob’s Brother: I commend you for your restraint to pass judgment, and to thankfully direct attention towards helping the horses. I am certain, from following reports from PER, that the younger horse was most definitely near death and is still incredibly weak, but should recover.
I have an incredibly hard time believing that anyone with common sense could not see the condition of the horses was far more than “just lean” or near an appropriate level of weight.
However, for those who do not know what a horse should look like, you can visit the following link to show how horses are assessed on a body score for healthy weight or not: http://www.tacomaequine.com/bcs.htm, or just search “body scoring horses” if you think you or a neighbor does not know any better. ignorance is no excuse, in my opinion, when it comes to the care of another living being, especially by a man who claims to serve the community as a pastor.
I’ll not pass judgement on Mr. McCreary. That’ll be reserved for court and a real judge. I will say this, Diane @ Panhandle Equine Rescue can use all the help they can get. These horses will probably rack up over $1000.00 in vet bills.
http://panhandleequinerescue.org/extra.php#Prayers and Donations are needed!
Copy and paste this link to your browser and donate what you can. If you have a paypal account, it’s very easy. Feed is around 12 bucks a bag and hay is about 6 or 7 dollars a bale. Anything will help these fine people rehab these animals.
It is high time that we put a stop to all this animal abuse.. We read something almost every week on NE about this cruelty.. It is getting to a point to where it is a blight on the whole community.. We need to put some real teeth in the animal cruelty laws so we can stop this mess..
Do not get me wrong, these horses should NOT be in this state. But I would like to shed some light on this case. This man was not purposefully trying to be mean to these horses, and it wasn’t a matter not being able to afford to feed them. This is a case of pure ignorance. This man, whom my Mother was a neighbor of, had spoken with her on several occasions about his past. He grew up in a rural area and his family, who live in another state, have horses. According to past conversations, he did this to these horses because that is how he learned to care for horses. Hay and water and nothing else but occasional feed. To him, this is what horses are supposed to look like. It does not excuse his behavoir….but it does bring to light an important and much needed area of educating horse owners on proper care. I shudder to think how many horses have been or are currently owned by other members of this family who have learned how to care for them in this manner. I wonder what condition they are in presently….. Where he had the horses located they were pretty much hidden from view. You couldn’t really see them unless they were standing in just the right spot. If someone had seen them sooner, I’m sure they would have gotten help much faster. Only 3 neighbors have a view of his field they were kept in….and there was a shed the horses hung out in or behind most of the time making it impossible to actually see them other than to know they were there. Even when they were out of the shed, the distance across the surrounding fields made it hard to see them enough to tell condition.
This is becoming a old song and dance.Well lets see where it goes this time.The state and county aren’t a very convincing argument for folks like this to stop their ways.
This is just one of recent case where they get a slap on the wrist and forgotten about behind new headlines.
Feb.2012 ..Kervin ..arrested for animal cruelty of 88 animals…realeased after serving 90 days.
July 2012..Floydroy.throwing a puppy from a moving vechicle.Probation
June 2013..Allan/Ella Kirkhan..225 cats…100 had to be put down.Probation
And then there is Samuel Calvin Rueben …that after a 7 year cat and mouse was arrested for starving 7 horses…Probation
And in Molino…The Oswalds starving pit bulls ,growing pot..and the state wanted jail time..but they were given probation and 50 days community service.
Makes you just shake in your shoes to be worried if this should happen to you.Why should people like this have any thing to fear.It speaks for itself….Proof in the pudding.
We as humans have an obligation to the animals we decide to care for.We have the freedom of choice,they don’t.It is up to those of us that believe in their well being to start reporting this abuse and make sure there is accountability.This is an issue that needs to be highlighted by the commissioners…Come on Mr. Barry…step up to the plate and do more than those that came before you.I know you have many issues to deal with…but this something that can’t be ignored any longer.It has to stop.
You want to be remembered for something…here is your chance..
God bless the PER, Equine, AND Diane Lowery for all they do to save these animals.
I know how frustrating it is to see selfish people abuse, and carelessly dump off animals on the road.
I live on a road that is notorious for dog and cat dumping…..everyday we have animals come up to our house that have been dumped.
Luckily, we find people to take most of them to give them a good loving home, sometimes we get stuck with yet another dog to feed because I can’t find it in my heart to dump them off at the humane society.
Just never ends
If y’all can’t afford to feed these animals, why don’t you just leave them alone. Don’t purchase them. How is this working for you?
I hope like heck the courts don’t just slap his hand. Shame on him for not getting help sooner. Anytime you get or own an animal it is up to you to feed, shelter and care for it. Every time I see or hear about something like this I just get pissed. I hope if others see this and need help that they ask for it. Just venting
This is disgusting that anyone would treat an animal like this! The sentences for animal cruelty should be much harsher and should be enforced at all opportunities! Thank goodness for the Equine group and all they do to help! Bless everyone of them!