A young stallion’s throat was cut and his body illegally dumped

San Joaquin County, Calif. (November 8, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization based in San Rafael, California, has offered a $3,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever slit the throat of a young male horse and illegally dumped his body in San Joaquin County.

A neighbor found the horse’s body early Monday morning. His feet were bound and tied to a pole – possibly to make it easier to drag him out of a trailer.

“The cold-bloodedness of this horrific crime indicates what a danger this person is to all of us,” said Eric Phelps, Emergency Response Unit Coordinator for IDA. He added: “studies have repeatedly shown, and the FBI and other law enforcement agencies agree, that a person who commits cruelty to animals very often moves on to commit acts of violence against people, especially when the cruelty to animals goes unpunished.”

“It’s murder and it’s something that needs to be addressed,” Kate Montgomery, the neighbor who found the horse, told KOVR TV. IDA’s Phelps agreed: “Whoever did this is probably already planning his next violent act, and our reward offer is aimed to stop him before somebody else gets hurt or dies.”

IDA urges anyone with information about this brutal attack to contact San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office at (209) 468-4400. To contribute to the reward fund, please call IDA at (415) 448-0048, ext. 218.

Contact: Eric Phelps, eric@idausa.org, 503-754-0977