Humane Society Takes Ownership Of Horses Involved In I-44 Crash

By Erin O'Neill

(KSDK) - The Humane Society of Missouri has been awarded custody of more than two dozen horses injured in a crash on Interstate 44 last month. The horses, which were on their way to a Chicago slaughter house, will soon be available for adoption.

Twenty-five horses and a mule survived the crash. Now that the Humane Society of Missouri has ownership, they have been saved from slaughter a second time.

"It was one of the worst things I've seen, and I've seen a lot of things, so you know it really doesn't get any worse than that," said Tim Rickey, assistant director of rescues and investigations for the Humane Society of Missouri

It was early in the morning on September 27 that a trailer carrying 42 horses flipped over on Interstate 44 just north of Sullivan in Franklin County. A veterinarian who responded to the scene said there were horses everywhere, some trapped on top of others. Rescuing the horses took hours.

In the end, 16 had died, and nine had to be euthanized; 25 horses survived. Most continue to recover at the Humane Society's Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union, Mo.

The Humane Society of Missouri received ownership of the animals by agreeing not to seek recovery costs associated with the rescue, treatment and care of the animals. So far, those costs exceed $84,000.

"The community has been very generous in this area, but you know the costs continue to mount up, and we would encourage anybody that wants to make a financial donation for these horses," said Rickey.

If you would like to make a donation to the "Horse Heroes Sponsorship Program," you can call 314-951-1542.





You can also see photos of the animals and an update on their condition on the Humane Society website by visiting the link to the right of this story.

The mule that survived returned to a veterinary hospital for further treatment of leg wounds.

One of the surviving horses, a 13-year-old quarter horse-type mare that rescuers named Darlin, had to be euthanized because of hoof and spine injures that became progressively worse.


Reference:ksdk