Left alone to die: Diseased and malnourished horse dumped in Tipton
A horse died after being abandoned in a severely diseased and malnourished state on grassland.
The animal was discovered near The Cracker in Tipton and Sandwell Council was called. Officers believe the horse had been deliberately led to the land and left alone with no food, water or shelter.
Councillor Ian Jones, cabinet member for jobs and economy, says the horse was not micro-chipped, making it impossible to trace the owner.
He added: "This was a dreadful case of animal cruelty. Not only was the horse left for dead but it was left for us as a council to remove.
"This is a real problem and I want to remind horse owners that they must microchip their animals and take proper responsibility for them.
"When officers visited council land to inspect tethered horses they found nearly all were not micro-chipped."
The council has reminded horse owners that animals with ringworm should be treated as highly contagious to people and strict isolation procedures should have been adhered to.
Management involves treating the active infection and reducing the spore formation and elimination of infective spores in the environment.
The council is also reminding owners that they need a horse passport issued since July 2009, which must contain a microchip number showing its registration.
A passport is needed for each animal and lasts the animal's lifetime.
Horse owners face fines of up to £5,000 if they can't show a valid horse passport for an animal in their care.
Mr Jones added: "I also want to remind members of the public they should not approach any tethered horses as they could inadvertently startle the horse which might then kick out at them."
