Five horses suffering from starvation were seized Wednesday from a Cabazon property, along with other pets, during a Riverside County Department of Animal Services cruelty investigation.
The seizure was carried out in the 5000 block of Esperanza Avenue, near Almond Street, less than a mile south of Interstate 10, according to agency spokesman John Welsh.
“The horses were in an emaciated state,” he said. “Their ribs, hip point and spines were very prominent.”
The department had been investigating allegations of animal negligence at the residential property since last month, when animal control officers received information from a county code enforcement officer regarding malnourished horses stabled there, according to Welsh.
“When we get complaints, it is our duty to respond,” Department of Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said. “This is an example of partnerships with fellow county agencies and great follow-through by our officers. It’s a shame to let horses get to this state — and we look forward to nursing them back to a much healthier weight.”
When animal control officers interviewed the pets’ owner, 58-year-old Rafael Leal, he explained that “he was going through tough times and trying to feed the horses what he was able,” Welsh said.
He said that officers offered twice to take the horses for rehabilitation, but Leal refused the offers. That culminated in officers obtaining an arrest warrant and seizure order.
Leal was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning Wednesday on suspicion of felony animal cruelty. Bail information was not immediately available.
Along with the five horses, officers and sheriff’s deputies impounded four dogs, six puppies and nearly four dozen domesticated fowl, mostly roosters and chickens, according to Welsh.
“The officers could not locate any food for the birds, nor a water source for them,” he said.
The confiscated animals were taken to the Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley for veterinary care.
It was the third large-scale animal seizure stemming from cruelty investigations countywide over the last month.
