Deputies from the sheriff’s office of Grant County, Okla. rescued six starving horses from the property of George Wesley Gilchrist in mid-December after an animal rights organization received a tip about the deplorable condition of the property. According to a witness, animals were forced to drink from a pond that contained the decomposing bodies of several donkeys. The decaying bodies of more than 30 domestic animals were found at the site. A variety of other animals, including donkeys, were allowed to remain on the property because they weren’t considered to be in immediate danger of starvation.
Gilchrist turned himself in to authorities and faces seven felony and two misdemeanor charges of animal abuse and neglect. After a few hours he was released on bail.
On Dec. 14, the six rescued horses were placed in a foster home with a local horse lover because they were too weak to travel to a Humane Society equine facility in nearby Enid, Okla. Despite heroic effort, two of the six horses died of starvation. One was a mare and the other was a filly, not quite a year old. The remaining four are said to be slowly recuperating. The cost of caring for the surviving horses is mounting, and the Enid Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is seeking donations of cash and feed.