Malnourished Horse Found Abandoned In Hunting Park
By Robin Culverwell and Dave Huddleston
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Authorities are trying to find the person who abandoned a horse in a trash-filled lot in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia.
"We have every indication this horse was being ridden very hard on the streets of Philadelphia," Officer Greg Jordan of the Pennsylvania SPCA said.
The horse was underweight, malnourished and only had one horseshoe when it was found on Sunday in the 3500 block of Ella Street.
"Somebody obviously had no idea what they were doing with horses when they took control of this horse. She's in really bad shape," Jordan said.
Besides being underweight, SPCA director of law enforcement George Bengal says the horse has a wound beneath its right elbow.
For now, the white Arabian-type horse is being cared for and stabled at the Pennsylvania SPCA's headquarters.
Residents who live on the street told Eyewitness News that there is more than one horse roaming the neighborhood.
One resident said he saw two men riding the horses up and down the street.
"First of all, what is it doing in the city?" resident "Daniel" wondered. "Daniel" said he would see the horse mostly during the day.
Officer Jordan thinks whoever was in possession of the horse was using the abandoned lot as a corral.
"I believe somebody walked over to this lot, let the horse in there and went about their business for the day. Luckily a citizen called up the SPCA and we got her out of the trash-strewn lot that the horse was in," Jordan said.
So far, attempts to find the owner have been unsuccessful, though investigators do have a few leads. When located, whoever owned the horse could face several charges.
Anyone with information is asked to call the SPCA at 215-426-6304 Ext. 270.
