Charges are pending against an Alberta rancher after RCMP and the Alberta SPCA seized hundreds of distressed cattle and horses.
About 140 horses and 200 cattle described as malnourished and ill were removed from property owned by John Barry Graham near Drumheller.
SPCA spokesperson Tara Johnson said the animals are receiving feed and veterinary care.
The SPCA can place charges under the Alberta Protection Act, and police are considering criminal code charges.
“We need to do a full and complete investigation before a decision is made,” Johnson said.
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“The horses were in a fairly expansive area and they did not have the available nutrients. There was no supplemental feeding. Their body condition was very poor.”
Graham was fined $10,000 in 2002 and was prohibited from owning livestock after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges.
The court did allow him to own a certain number of cattle and horses, although Johnson did not know how many were permitted.
Owners have 10 days to reclaim their livestock in Alberta, but the SPCA may deem it necessary to hold them longer until they have recovered.
This year’s hard winter has resulted in numerous calls to the Alberta Farm Animal Care Alert line, said AFAC chair Doug Sawyer.
The service sends volunteer producers to farms and ranches where animals are in distress to help before a situation becomes too serious.
“On that particular situation, we were probably years too late,” Sawyer said.
“At this stage, it is probably in the right hands.”
AFAC volunteers would likely have summoned authorities in this case rather than try to help.
Most of the calls received this past season were to report horses in distress.
Many producers rely on winter grazing, but this year the grass and the ground froze too early and animals were unable to paw through the surface to find forage.
“We had lots of looming wrecks with horses but we were able to help guys get back on track,” Sawyer said.
Johnson said many of the calls the SPCA received this winter involved not only malnourished horses but also abrasions on their legs from ice damage.
The Alert line can be reached at 800-506-2273.
