A Cork animal welfare group responded to one of the very worst cases of animal abuse they have seen in the city - involving a pony in the Fairhill area.
The volunteers from the Cork branch of the My Lovely Horse Rescue group were asked on Sunday night to attend a badly injured young mare that had been found on waste ground in the northside suburb.
And Kelly Mellerick of the rescue charity told CorkBeo that they were "horrified" by what they saw, Cork Beo reports.
She said: "She had been terribly abused, covered in sores and wounds that were old, with lots of scars and marks around her muzzle and eyes.
"When we got to her, we thought she was already dead, but she moved her eyes. The Vet said there was nothing we could do for her."
Kelly says the pony had been freshly shod with four shoes - but had the signs of starvation and abuse consistent with horrendous ill-treatment.
"It was horrific. She had been severely abused. The guards from Gurranabraher were great, they stayed with her for an hour until we were able to get there. But there was nothing anybody could do.
"There just are no words to describe the condition of this poor creature. No words that could convey what she must have suffered."
Kelly and her fellow volunteers rescued a younger foal in the same area in recent months and they are now worried that they are people in the area who are regularly abusing horses.
The animal rescue charity are now asking any members of the public who may know more about this latest, shocking case to come forward and contact the gardai.
"It’s outrageous that this level of abuse has become routine in this country - and that it goes unchecked and unpunished," says the Cork volunteer group.
Those with information should contact Gardai at Gurranabraher Station in Cork on (021) 494 6200.
