‘Horses feel pain just like we do.’ Reward up to $13,000 in Palmetto butchering case
Anyone with information on the killing and butchering of a horse that was stolen from its Palmetto pasture earlier this month could find themselves eligble for up to $13,000 in rewards.
On top of a possible $3,000 reward being offered by Crime Stoppers, Centennial Farms Inc., is offering a $5,000 and the Animal Legal Defense Fund is matching that with another $5,000 reward.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is the nation’s largest legal advocacy organization for animals.
Officials say they are investigating a possible link between the December theft and killing in the 5800 block of Buckeye Road and the 2015 slaughtering of a show horse that was stolen about two miles away and also butchered for its meat.
Two days after the most recent theft, the sheriff’s office released a video of a person of interest captured wandering around the stables.
“Horses are highly intelligent animals who feel pain just like we do,” said Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells. “This is a very serious crime, all the more urgent because it seems to be part of a pattern of cruelty.”
It is a second-degree felony in Florida to willfully kill a horse.
Anyone with information is asked to contact MCSO at 941-747-3011 or can remain anonymous through Crime Stoppers by calling 866-634-8477.