A dead newborn foal was discovered dumped on a road side in south Dublin on Tuesday afternoon.
It is believed the foal may have been stillborn or died while its mother was giving birth to it.
The DSPCA shared an image of the stricken foal on social media yesterday and slammed the owners who dumped the body.
They said: "It is so sad to see this picture of a life that didn’t make it into our world discarded like rubbish.
"This new born foal was discarded on a road side yesterday in south county Dublin, it is most likely the foal was still born or may have died when the mare was trying to give birth.
"Unfortunately, this happens a lot, when a horse dies and the so called owners drive to a roadside location (usually a gateway) where the animal is pulled out of van/box and left there.
"We can only presume this act is done to avoid having to pay for the appropriate removal costs."
DSPCA inspectors searched the surrounding area for the foal's mother as they had concerns for her health and welfare but found no trace of the mare.
The local authority was notified and will remove the foal for burial.
