Horses dumped near Molalla to be auctioned off [link]
Officals haven't been able to ID the owner of 11 malnourished animals
Steve Mayes | Sep 6, 2008
MOLALLA—Investigators still don't know who abandoned 11 malnourished horses Sunday in a rural area south of Molalla.
Efforts to identify the horses' owner have been unsuccessful, said Jack Noble, an Oregon Department of Agriculture brand inspector. The animals will be sold next week.
A property owner who lives near where the horses were found is caring for them, said Morgan Guthner, livestock deputy for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
"It looks to me like someone dumped the horses in the middle of the road," Guthner said.
Abandoning livestock is not illegal under Oregon law, but the owner could face animal neglect charges, Guthner said.
Most of the horses have small green rectangular tags with four black numbers attached to their rumps, but the purpose of the tags is unclear, Noble said.
The horses will be sold at auction Wednesday. The sale begins at 10 a.m. at the Woodburn Livestock Exchange, 597 S. Pacific Highway in Woodburn.
The horses can be viewed one hour before the sale.
Rump tags sound like standard auction stickers to me.
One can infer that if you buy a horse at auction that is malnourished, you may be subsequently charged with animal neglect for having that animal in your possession.
Interesting. What other reason to dump them might there be?
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