DSPCA puts down 43rd horse

MEMBERS of the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) put down their 43rd horse since Christmas, at the Naas dual carriageway last night.

The horse had its two front legs broken and suffered a severe gash to its side when hit by a car near the Bluebell flats, at 9.50 p.m. It was being kept in the Ballyfermot area, and had been impounded three times by Dublin Corporation.

Mr Robert Kenny, of the DSPCA, said the vast majority of horses they have had to put down this year to date had been injured in traffic accidents, and usually were then abandoned by owners who did not wish to take responsibility for damage caused to vehicles involved. He pointed out there was no compensation for drivers in such accidents.

The horses, all of which had been bought cheaply at the Smithfield market, were being kept in the Ballyfermot, Clondalkin, Finglas, Tallaght, and Inchicore areas of the city, he said, and referred to separate incidents involving two infants recently who had been badly injured by kicks from the animals while playing on greens in Clondalkin and Tallaght.

He demanded that legislation to regulate ownership of the horses be introduced "immediately".

"Then," he said, "the animals would be protected from cruelty, we (DSPCA) would be protected from assault by the owners when we go to check on the horse's welfare, and drivers would be safer on the roads."