ST. CROIX – The Virgin Islands Police Department is investigating a case of severe animal cruelty that occurred on St. Croix in the vicinity of the Youth Rehabilitation Center, Kevin Jackson, VIPD’s public information officer announced via prepared statement today.
According to Jackson, veterinarians with the V.I. Department of Agriculture summoned detectives to Estate Anna’s Hope on Wednesday to investigate a badly beaten horse.
According to the owner, whose name was not identified in the statement, the female horse was purchased in September 2014 as a therapy aide for her teenage grandson who suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHDA). The owner said that the horse had been stolen on several occasions but was always recovered and even won a race at the “Polo Grounds” in Estate Humbug recently, according to the statement.
Warning: Graphic content
The horse was secured on the evening of March 31 around 5 p.m., near YRC. However, when the owners returned that same night to check on the animal at about 7 p.m., it was found lying on the ground bleeding from the head.
The wounded horse had sustained several, deep lacerations in the neck area, nose, face and head and eventually had to be euthanized due to the severity of its injuries.
VIPD is asking that anyone with information about the incident contact the Insular Investigation Bureau at (340) 778-2211 ext. 6102, 911 or the anonymous tip service, Crime Stoppers USVI, at 1-800- 222-8477.
Feature Image: Dead horse in the vicinity of the Youth Rehabilitation Center on St. Croix
Image Credit: All images provided by the VIPD
Tags: animal cruelty
Share On Facebook
Tweet It
