TURLOCK, CA - A neighbor called Stanislaus County animal services after she learned a herd of horses will apparently be sent to a slaughterhouse in Mexico.
"It just makes me sick," Tracy Wheelock said. "When I first saw them I thought someone had rescued them. Then I found out they would be put in trucks, taken to Mexico and killed."
About 40 horses, including some mustangs and a mule, graze in a pasture at Clayton and Mitchell Road. Wheelock said she noticed the horses looked skinny, especially one that was very emaciated. She was also worried about another one that was having trouble walking.
A call to county animal services prompted a visit by a veterinarian and two uniformed officers.
County officials confirmed the animals had been purchased by Don Gates who agreed to give two horses extra care.
Wheelock said horses can be expensive but she had friends willing to take some of them.
"I personally have experience rescuing a horse," Wheelock explained. "I got a horse for a dollar. It was nothing but a gem for my niece. We took it to the lake. We did all kinds of things. My hope is that these horses have that chance."
However, it appears the horses will be sent to a Mexican slaughterhouse, where they will be killed and shipped to Europe and Asia for food or fed to zoo animals.
By Karen Massie, kmassie@news10.net
News10/KXTV