Oney the Horse Tests Negative for Screwworm as Recovery Continues After Brutal Attack

The Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) has confirmed that Oney, the horse brutally attacked by three teenagers in Belize City, has tested negative for screwworm.

Deputy Technical Director of Animal Health, Dr Jonathon Pech, examined the animal on Sunday and said, “The samples that were taken from the horse, the worms, they were negative for screwworm. I examined him again today, and the wounds are healing well. The horse is looking much better now.”

Dr Pech says with continued treatment, Oney should fully recover within two to three weeks. “I strongly believe that the horse will be able to go back to being clinically healthy in approximately two to three weeks,” he noted.

The update comes after a disturbing video showing three teens hacking the tied-up horse with a machete went viral, sparking outrage across the country. The incident occurred near the Faber’s Road Extension.

Five individuals — including two adults and three minors — were arrested and charged with cattle theft, cruelty to animals, and abetment to commit cruelty to animals.

Oney’s sixteen-year-old owner, Devonte Broaster, said the horse was stolen and that the attackers tried to extort him for its return.