RSPCA appeal as dead foal dumped “like rubbish” on A500

The RSPCA has launched an appeal to find those responsible for dumping a dead foal like rubbish at the side of the busy A500.

A member of the public alerted the RSPCA to the dead filly found on land off the A500 Alsager Road in Audley, between Nantwich and Stoke-on-Trent.

Inspector Charlotte Melvin was sent to the scene yesterday (January 10) and found the foal left alongside piles of tree bark which had also been dumped.

She said the foal looked in poor bodily condition and was emaciated.

At this stage it is thought the foal was already dead when left as there were no scratch marks on the ground to suggest she had been struggling.

Insp Melvin contacted the landowner Robert Elliot, of Eardley End Road, Bignall End, who was shocked when he saw the foal but said it wasn’t the first time a horse had been dumped in this area.

He said: “It is awful that someone would just dump an animal like this and it looked in poor condition.

“It isn’t the first time this has happened though, a couple of years back another young horse was dumped on our land and we often get problems with fly-tipping around the area.”

Insp Melvin is appealing for anyone who may have seen the foal getting dumped to contact the RSPCA appeals line on 0300 123 8018.

She believes the foal had been there for a few days.

She said: “It is so sad to see such a young animal discarded like rubbish in this way – she was also clearly not looked after well before she was dumped as she was so thin.

“I would like to hear from anyone who may know who the foal belonged to.”

This foal is one of the latest to be dumped as the RSPCA and other animal charities struggle to cope with an ongoing equine crisis.

RSPCA inspectorate national equine co-ordinator Christine McNeil added: “Up and down England and Wales, horses are being found sick, dying or sometimes dead.

“It is frequently the case that they have been abandoned and left to die.

“This is upsettingly very common and it’s a massive issue – a very sad one at that.

“We are constantly receiving calls to our cruelty line – on average 80 per day about horses alone across England and Wales – as well as messages every day on social media from very concerned and upset people asking for our help.”