FLAT BROKE FARM
where the humans are broke, not the animals
ORGANIC FARMER NEGLECTS BURRO 05-10
A well-known Mendocino County organic farmer and wine maker is facing trial on misdemeanor charges of animal neglect and cruelty.
Guinness McFadden severely neglected his aging burro, then shot it multiple times while attempting to put it out of its misery, according to a report by Mendocino County
“The animal appeared to be in pain and had extreme trouble walking” Denton states in the report.
The burro also had an oozing, volley ball-sized tumor on its chest, according to the Sheriff's report.
McFadden had been aware of the hoof problem since at least June 2007, when Animal Control officials first warned him to have the burro's hooves trimmed, according to the Sheriff's report.He was again warned in
early 2009, when the burro's condition was reported to the Humane Society, according to Denton's report. McFadden claimed he had a farrier trim the hooves, but the overgrown hooves would have required multiple treatments.
The burro also apparently suffered from laminitis, a hoof inflammation usually brought on by eating carbohydrate rich grass or clover, said county Veterinarian Robert Shugart. Untreated, the inflammation can result in abnormal hoof growth as the animal shifts its weight to its heel to lessen the pain, he said. Hooves can become as long and twisted as those of McFadden's burro in about a year, Shugart said.
In the wild, burros don't have access to rich grass, and their hooves are naturally worn down by hard, rocky ground. Their hooves may get longer as they age and become less mobile, but predators are likely to cut short their suffering, according to county Animal Control and Bureau of Land Management officials.
“Typically, they won't live that long,” said BLM spokesman Jeff Fontana. Wild burros' typical life span is about 20 years, he said. McFadden's burro was about 35 years old.
By January of this year, its hooves had grown to almost 16 inches, according to the
When he saw the burro's condition, Denton told McFadden he needed to get the animal immediate care or put it down.He said he was surprised by the animal's condition.
“McFadden is well to do and raises cattle, among several other businesses, and could easily afford veterinary care for his animals,” Denton said.
McFadden told him he infrequently sees the burro, the last of four he adopted about 30 years ago through the Bureau of Land Management's wild horse and burro program.
McFadden asked Denton to help him shoot the burro, but Denton was ordered to another assignment and had to leave, according to the report. He instructed McFadden to shoot the burro behind the ear.
A witness to the shooting said McFadden began shooting the burro with a pistol from a distance of about 30 feet. The first bullet skipped off the animal's head, according to power plant manager T.K. Vaught. The second shot was into the animal's neck, causing it to fall to the ground, she said. McFadden reportedly continued walking toward the animal while firing. The fifth and final shot he fired was at point blank range into the animal's head, Vaught said.
“It was awful,” she told Denton.
Three high-profile
Eyster declined to comment on details of the case, but said he thought it was poorly handled.
“I don't think the right thing is being done,” he said.
WILD HORSES SHOT TO DEATH 12-09
SUSANVILLE – Federal investigators spent Thursday at the scene of the suspected shooting deaths of up to six wild horses on public land in Nevada, 45 miles northeast of Susanville. The carcasses of five mustangs, found three miles from the California state line, showed evidence of gunshot wounds. A sixth animal was found a half-mile away, said Jeff Fontana, a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management in Susanville. Special agents are investigating the cause of the deaths and whether they are related to recent controversy over the future of wild horses, protected under a 1971 federal law. The government has proposed what is believed to be the biggest-ever roundup of wild horses on federal land, moving as many as 25,000 mustangs and wild burros to pastures in the Midwest and East out of fear that their fast-multiplying numbers will lead to mass starvation. The plan is facing heated opposition from wild horse advocates, including celebrities Sheryl Crow, Bill Maher and Ed Harris, who contend the proposal is inhumane and unnecessary. They say the situation is not as dire as the government has described it. Opponents of the relocation plan spoke out Monday at a hearing on the proposal, held by a federal advisory panel at a hotel-casino near Reno. The panel took no immediate action. The deaths of the six mustangs were discovered two days before the meeting, when a helicopter pilot spotted the bodies on a wild horse gathering operation in the BLM's Buckhorn Herd Management Area in Washoe County, Fontana said. Investigators estimated the animals had been dead for about two weeks. The BLM routinely removes what it considers excess horses from the range and takes them to government-funded holding facilities. The agency has no information about a link between the proposed relocation and the wild horse deaths, he said. Investigators at the scene Thursday are still trying to determine a motive for the shootings, Fontana said. Wild horses are protected under the 1971 Wild Free- Roaming Horse and Burro Act, which prohibits harassing, capturing or killing the animals. Violations are punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, a year in prison, or both.
WHATS NEW!
As of April 2010 Madeline, Stella and Shadaisy
DO NOT have sponcors! Can you help?
