Surprise ending for complaint about animal neglect
TAFT, Calif. -- A worried Taft man said he's seen the skinny horses for more than a month, and he called the Eyewitness News tipline.
It turns out this is a case of animal neglect -- with a twist.
"I drive by here very frequently, because I live in Taft, and it caught my eye," the tipster said.
He was standing by some corrals west of Taft. It's an area with a number of pens and corrals filled with horses, goats, chickens and a dog or two.
The resident said the horses in one section looked very bad, and he was concerned.
"The ribs, you can see the ribs," he said. "I mean, they look skinny."
It turns out the animals look a lot better than they did. The horses have been rescued by Taft resident Hector Ramos.
"They were in such bad shape, that I don't know how the animals survived for so long," Ramos told Eyewitness News Friday afternoon. Ramos has rescued five horses in all, he's had them at the corral from six to nine months, or so.
One horse came from Lamont, and a couple in very bad shape were rescued from Maricopa.
"We just got a phone call saying if I wanted them," Ramos said. "I said sure."
The rescuer said the previous owner was prepared to euthanize the horses.
"I took it. They're not going to put it down," Ramos said. "I don't have the heart to see that for an animal."
Friday afternoon, Ramos headed out to the corral and fed hay and grain to the horses. He said it'll take a while to get them back up to normal size.
But, he admits it's tough. "Right now, especially with the price of hay, it's not easy," he said.
He added that the horses seemed very skittish at first, so they need some calming down. He thinks that's because they were simply neglected by owners who didn't have the money or means to take care of them.
When the curious resident stopped with a reporter to look closely at the horses, there were signs of some hay in the corral. And the tipster had wondered if it could be a case of someone buying up sick animals to rehabilitate them.
The man's questions don't bother the rescuer.
"It shows they care," Ramos said.
The boney animals had also caught the eye of Kern County Animal Control, and Ramos said an officer stopped to ask him questions about the horses.
"I didn't mind when they came by, not a bit," Ramos said. The officer looked over the supply of hay and other feed. "He was pleased to see what I had in there."
County officials tell Eyewitness News animal control will keep an eye on the horses, but they are already in much better shape since Ramos has been taking care of them.
And Ramos hopes anyone with suspicions about animal care will report these incidents. He thinks help can be found.
"There's a lot of people that care about horses," Ramos said. "And there's homes for them."
It turns out this is a case of animal neglect -- with a twist.
"I drive by here very frequently, because I live in Taft, and it caught my eye," the tipster said.
He was standing by some corrals west of Taft. It's an area with a number of pens and corrals filled with horses, goats, chickens and a dog or two.
The resident said the horses in one section looked very bad, and he was concerned.
"The ribs, you can see the ribs," he said. "I mean, they look skinny."
It turns out the animals look a lot better than they did. The horses have been rescued by Taft resident Hector Ramos.
"They were in such bad shape, that I don't know how the animals survived for so long," Ramos told Eyewitness News Friday afternoon. Ramos has rescued five horses in all, he's had them at the corral from six to nine months, or so.
One horse came from Lamont, and a couple in very bad shape were rescued from Maricopa.
"We just got a phone call saying if I wanted them," Ramos said. "I said sure."
The rescuer said the previous owner was prepared to euthanize the horses.
"I took it. They're not going to put it down," Ramos said. "I don't have the heart to see that for an animal."
Friday afternoon, Ramos headed out to the corral and fed hay and grain to the horses. He said it'll take a while to get them back up to normal size.
But, he admits it's tough. "Right now, especially with the price of hay, it's not easy," he said.
He added that the horses seemed very skittish at first, so they need some calming down. He thinks that's because they were simply neglected by owners who didn't have the money or means to take care of them.
When the curious resident stopped with a reporter to look closely at the horses, there were signs of some hay in the corral. And the tipster had wondered if it could be a case of someone buying up sick animals to rehabilitate them.
The man's questions don't bother the rescuer.
"It shows they care," Ramos said.
The boney animals had also caught the eye of Kern County Animal Control, and Ramos said an officer stopped to ask him questions about the horses.
"I didn't mind when they came by, not a bit," Ramos said. The officer looked over the supply of hay and other feed. "He was pleased to see what I had in there."
County officials tell Eyewitness News animal control will keep an eye on the horses, but they are already in much better shape since Ramos has been taking care of them.
And Ramos hopes anyone with suspicions about animal care will report these incidents. He thinks help can be found.
"There's a lot of people that care about horses," Ramos said. "And there's homes for them."
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