Possible Animal Neglect After Dozens Of Dead Horses Found At Eastern Shore Farm
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Dozens of dead and decaying horses were found on a Hebron farm where the conditions were so bad, horses were reportedly eating aluminum siding from the house.
From the air, dozens of horses are loaded onto trailers and out of the deplorable conditions in Wicomico County where investigators found them Friday.
"Our goal right now is to get these horses taken care of and off the property, that's what we're doing," Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said.
Officials found as many as 25 horses dead on the 2-acre property. Skeletal remains were scattered across the land while more than 100 other horses roamed around.
Desperate for anything to eat, officials say the horses resorted to eating aluminum siding and fiberglass from the home.
The horses couldn't wait to eat the 5,000 pounds of grain and 25 bales of hay donated by animal groups.
Officials say when the food arrived, even more horses appeared.
The property belongs to Clayton P. and Barbara L. Pilchard, according to Delmarva Now.
Neighbors say they're happy help finally arrived.
"These horses are malnourished, they are completely uncared for and it's a sad situation," neighbor Bobby Salfie said.
Animal control says they're first taking away the horses in most need of help.
"There's babies and moms and things like that and we have to look at the severity of all the horses, and try to identify the ones that would need immediate removal and rehab," said Aaron Balsamo with Wicomico County animal control.
The investigation is ongoing into what caused the deaths and how long the horses have been there.
Officials say there aren't currently enough to charge the property owner with animal neglect, but they do expect charges to be filed soon.
Authorities say all the horses have been seized and taken to an undisclosed location. Investigators are also waiting on the results of a necropsy on one of the animals.
The Sheriff's Office said more than 200 cats were removed from the same property in 1995 and Barbara Pilchard was charged with 100 counts of animal neglect.
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