A man has been charged with animal cruelty following the death of a horse in Hanapepe. According to a press release, Kaua‘i Humane Society responded to a report from a neighbor yesterday that one horse was dead and another badly
A man has been charged with animal cruelty following the death of a horse in Hanapepe.
According to a press release, Kaua‘i Humane Society responded to a report from a neighbor yesterday that one horse was dead and another badly tangled in the Hanapepe Valley.
The dead horse, an adult quarterhorse mare, appeared to have choked to death, the release states. A 20-foot rope tether was caught between her legs and had pinned her to the ground.
The other horse was standing, but tangled up tight to a tree and unable to reach water or food, the release states.
The owner, Richard Corr, 31, of Hanapepe, arrived as Humane Society personnel were untangling the live horse. He said he had not visited the horses since Wednesday and was unaware that the horse had died, the release states.
Corr was charged with animal cruelty by Dr. Rebecca Rhoades, executive director of Kaua‘i Humane Society.
“This mare’s tragic death was totally preventable,” Rhoades says in the release. “If horses are tethered, which I strongly disapprove of, they must be checked multiple times a day for their safety. Whether she got frightened from fireworks or just stepped the wrong way, she had no way to escape from the choking rope and suffered horribly.”
“Tethering horses is a very dangerous practice,” Kaua‘i horse veterinarian, Dr. Scott Sims, agreed, stating that he has witnessed several horses who died after getting tangled up with their rope tethers, one from a severely broken leg.
Jimmy Miranda, owner of CJM stables in Po‘ipu, said he will only tether a horse for training purposes and always under direct supervision.
“I refuse to sell a horse to a buyer if they are going to keep the horse on a rope tether,” Miranda says in the release.
Corr was charged with one count of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor punishable by a $2,000 fine and/or one year in jail.
He was not charged with the new felony animal cruelty law because it does not apply to horses.
His arraignment is scheduled at July 31 at 2 p.m. in Lihu‘e court.
