Cape Town - A pony that was abused and beaten by children in Robinvale, Atlantis, has been confiscated by the Cape of Good Hope (CoGH) SPCA with the help of the residents.
The CoGH SPCA received a complaint from a concerned resident about children over riding a pony. It was reported that they rode the pony up and down the street, day and night. When the pony was too tired to move, the children hit the animal to force it to continue to ride, the SPCA wrote in a statement.
Senior inspector Wayne Hector covers the Atlantis area and was immediately dispatched to investigate.
In a statement, the SPCA said: “As Wayne drove down the road where the incident was reported, he found the pony surrounded by children and (being) forced to ride.
“When the children saw the SPCA vehicle, they quickly dispersed and ran away, including the rider, leaving the exhausted pony abandoned next to the road.”
As the children ran away, Hector secured the pony.
“Residents started to come out of their houses to see what was going on.
The residents jumped in and assisted Wayne with the rescue mission.
“A resident kindly allowed Wayne to confine the pony in her backyard to allow for a horsebox from Grassy Park to arrive,” the statement said.
As Hector waited for his colleagues to arrive, he was approached by a man who claimed to be the owner of the pony.
Hector immediately seized the pony and issued the owner with a seizure notice.
Finally, help arrived and the pony, which has been named McDonald, was loaded into the SPCA horsebox for the journey to the SPCA Horse Care Unit in Grassy Park.
“Upon arrival at the SPCA, one of our resident veterinarians examined McDonald. Besides being exhausted and dehydrated, McDonald was given a clean bill of health.
Placed in one of our stables, with a special diet and a warm place to sleep, he is now in safe hands.
“We will make it our mission to ensure that criminal charges are brought against the owner for allowing his pony to be abused by minors,” the statement said.
The public can contribute towards McDonald’s upkeep, until a suitable, permanent home is found for him, by visiting https://capespca.co.za/donate/ Report animal cruelty via: https:// capespca.co.za/services/inspectorate-department/report-cruelty/ or call 021 700 4158 or 083 326 1604 (after- hours)
Cape Times