Malnourished Pets Falls Under Health & Other Agencies  

Today, five youths accused of severely injuring a horse appeared in court. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams led the prosecution and objected to bail, citing the widespread nature of the crime. Despite this, the Magistrate granted bail at two thousand, five hundred dollars each. Williams informed reporters that the youths will face three charges. He also noted that agencies responsible for animal welfare, health, and protection will address issues like malnutrition, which has been a major concern among citizens regarding pet care.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The Police have charged those individuals with three counts, one count of cruelty to an animal, one count of abetment to commit cruelty to an animal, and one count of cattle theft.”

 

Reporter

“Based on this case, I think people were pointing out from way before the fact that a lot of youth are roaming around the city with these horses that look malnourished. Is that something that authorities would look into, including the police, because you’re the ones who bring the charges and I know that the care of animals factor under the Cruelty to Animals Act.”

 

Chester Williams

“That is not going to be something the police will be able to look at. It will fall more within the domain of health authorities, perhaps maybe even BAHA and I know that they do have a humane society that operates within Belize. I think they can pull their resources together and see what can be done to address those issues. I know for a fact that while we do have these young people who may move around the city on these horses, I think for the most part they, they do show a great degree of love towards these animals. So perhaps it can just be that they don’t have the means to properly care for them. And I think when we experience those circumstances, then the wider society should see what they can do to assist these young men in caring for the horses. Again, I think that if they have a pet – I would still refer to a horse as a pet – if it is that you can show care and empathy towards an animal, that also assists you in terms of your upbringing.”