From Iceland — Top Vet Worried About Horse Abuse

Top Vet Worried About Horse Abuse

Published September 19, 2011

Iceland’s top veterinarian has publicly called for the police to thoroughly investigate instances of animal abuse, saying that he is worried about the number of abused horses being brought to his attention.
RÚV reports that Halldór Runólfsson, Iceland’s top vet, has underscored his argument by pointing out that there have been five cases of horses being abused just this past summer alone. Most disturbing is that three of these horses were females found with bleeding wounds on their genitals.
Despite this, it was learned that police did not intend to ask the owners for records from the regional vet. Police said they did not intend to investigate unless there was a strong suspicion that animal abuse was at work.
For this reason, Halldór says he, the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, and a group of lawyers intend to demand that the police investigate these matters to the fullest of their ability.
These instances of abuse are not localised, but have been found all over the country. Halldór says that preventing animal abuse is a joint effort involving owners and supervisory authorities alike.

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