Dozens of abandoned horses _ some tied to trees in freezing weather, and one seen lying dead in a ditch _ have been taken to a shelter after a Romanian rapper posted images of the neglected animals on social media.
The horses were found at the at an inland lake near the Black Sea without food or shelter. They appeared malnourished and listless on wasteland next to the lake where temperatures have often been below freezing this month.
An animal welfare group initially raised the alarm after it received a video of the stricken horses from Puya, a well-known Romanian rapper.
Puya said he himself had received the video from someone who asked him to raise public awareness.
„There are 40 horses kept out in the cold and harsh conditions; without food many of them will get sick and die. Authorities haven’t done anything yet, but if this is posted someone will notice and take them away from a place where they face certain death,” Puya, 41, wrote.
“It’s clear that no Romanian ngo can take 40 horses. It’s clear that it’s a problem for the Romanian state to handle,” the Kola Kariola animal welfare group wrote on Facebook.
Police and animal welfare officials headed to the area and identified 35 abandoned horses. Authorities checked their condition and they were then taken to a shelter in Constanta county on Sunday evening, the Constanta police Inspectorate said.
Spokeswoman for animal welfare Irina Topoleanu said Sunday that authorities were trying to locate the owner.
„The owner will be fined …. and measures will be taken as far as the welfare of these animals in concerned.”
