James Warren
A PREGNANT horse has been killed and dismembered in a shocking attack in Malaga.
Police are investigating the gruesome crime that took place yesterday on a plot of land in Campanillas.
The owner of the animal, who has kept horses for several years, reported the crime to the Policia Local after discovering his beloved animal had gone missing.
“We only leave the horses here two or three weeks here in the planting season,” the man told Diario Sur, “Normally they stay at our other property.”
After examining the field where the horses grazed, he noticed the rope tethering the horse had been cut deliberately, pointing to a theft.
He began searching the area and after a few minutes he made the gruesome discovery of the horse’s body laid by a nearby river.
“He had two stab wounds to the neck, all the meat from the loin taken out and the spine cleaned, as well as one of his thighs and a raw hindquarter.”
The horse’s unborn foal was found lifeless next to its mother.
A Policia Nacional investigation has been launched.
The unidentified owner believes the crime was carried out by experts and that due to the precision of the cuts taken, the meat will be used in the illegal horse meat trade.
This is a hypothesis echoed by police who are considering the incident a crime against public health.
At the moment, investigators are looking into a witness statement, which suggests that a man was seen pulling the horse at around the time of its disappearance and placing it into a grey van.
The animal, named Lola by its owner, was registered as a ‘purebred Spanish Horse’ or ‘pura raza española‘ and had a potential value of €15,000 to €20,000.
The species has been native to Andalucia since the 15th century and is known for its intelligence, sensitivity and docility.
