BC SPCA submits charges to Crown counsel in McBride horse case

January 26, 2009. For immediate release.

The BC SPCA has submitted a report to Crown counsel in Prince George recommending charges of animal cruelty be laid in the case of two horses abandoned in McBride, B.C. last month. The dramatic Dec. 23rd rescue of the three-year-old mare named Belle and the 14-year-old gelding named Sundance made national news after volunteers spent a week shoveling a one-kilometre trench through the snow to save the abandoned horses.

"We are recommending charges of animal cruelty against the owner of the horses under both the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act and the Criminal Code of Canada," said Shawn Eccles, the BC SPCA's Chief Animal Protection Officer. The PCA Act, which applies only in BC, and the Criminal Code both carry a maximum fine of $5,000, up to six months in jail and a possible prohibition on owning animals. While the BC SPCA is responsible for submitting charges, it will up to Crown counsel to determine whether the charges are approved.

Eccles said that the BC SPCA has also determined that the horses will not be returned to their owner. "The animals are receiving excellent on-going care in their foster homes and a number of people have offered to provide a permanent home for them," he said.

The BC SPCA depends entirely on donations to provide these horses with the food, shelter and medical care they need to recover from their ordeal. These costs are high, as are the costs incurred by our Cruelty Investigations Department to bring animal abuse cases before the courts.

Please donate today at spca.bc.ca to help us care for these animals. Your gift will help save a life.

For more information:

Shawn Eccles, Chief Animal Protection Officer, BC SPCA, 604.709.4668;

Lorie Chortyk, General Manager, Community Relations, 604.647.1316; 604.830.7179 (cell).

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.