Title: Investigation Launched into Cruel Abandonment of Foal Found Tied to Post

The young foal had been tied to a post with rope by its front legs; it is not known whether the skewbald colt was alive or dead when it was cruelly dumped at the site.

The animal had wounds on its front and back legs, scrapes to the side of its body suggesting it may have been dragged and had wood shavings on its coat.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Joe White is investigating the death and said: “It’s incredibly sad to think this poor foal had died and then those who were meant to care for him just dumped his body for somebody else to deal with in such a public place; it’s hugely irresponsible.

“We do not know the cause of death or if he was dead or alive at the time he was dumped, but we are keen to find out more about this poor foal, how their body came to be dumped here, and who owned him as the circumstances in which his body was disposed of are suspicious.

“Anyone with information can contact the RSPCA in complete confidence on our inspector appeal line by calling 0300 123 8018 quoting incident 01511198.”

The animal rescue charity is investigating how the foal came to be dumped at the nature reserve and who its owners are. The team investigating believes it is likely the foal was driven to the location on a trailer or truck before those responsible tied its legs to the post before driving away, dragging its body out of the vehicle onto the ground.

A spokesperson for the charity said that tragically, cases like this are frequently dealt with by the organization as horses are found abandoned and often subjected to deliberate cruelty.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “Sadly, it’s not uncommon for the RSPCA and other equine welfare charities to be called about gravely ill, abandoned horses, and dumped dead horses.

“Disposing of a horse’s body has cost implications, which means dead horses are often discarded like rubbish. During 2024, the RSPCA attended 22,503 incidents involving an abandoned animal.”