An Edmonton man has been charged with three counts of animal cruelty after allegedly abandoning two horses in the mountains near McBride, B.C.
Shawn Eccles, chief animal protection officer with the British Columbia SPCA, said Frank McKay has been charged under the Animal Cruelty Act and the Criminal Code of Canada for causing or permitting an animal to be in distress, abandoning animals without adequate food, water, shelter or care and causing unnecessary pain or suffering.
The two horses were found trapped in deep snow two days before Christmas by snowmobilers near the eastern B.C. community. The discovery started a week-long rescue mission with more than 30 volunteers digging a kilometre long path through the snow to lead the horses to safety.
Read Also
Stacking Canada up on gene editing livestock
Canada may want to gauge how Argentina and other countries have approached gene editing in livestock and what that has meant for local innovation.
Belle, a three-year old mare, and Sundance, a 14-year-old gelding, were suffering from cold and malnutrition when they were discovered.
After the animals were rescued, the B.C. SPCA refused to return the horses to McKay. Instead, they were placed in foster homes and have since been placed in permanent homes.
McKay lost the horses when he took supplies to a friend walking from Montana to Jasper, Alta., on the Great Divide Trail.
McKay is scheduled to appear in court in McBride June 12.
