Tag: 2025-04-10

Today has been upsetting for animal lovers and concerned Belizeans. A shocking video surfaced on Facebook, showing three teenagers brutally attacking a horse named Oney. The video, which has gone viral, depicts the boys senselessly chopping the horse while it was tied to a tree, trying desperately to escape. News Five confirmed that this horrific incident happened near the Faber’s Road extension here in Belize City. Oney belongs to a sixteen-year-old boy who used to be friends with the attackers. He claims they stole his horse and tried to extort him for its return. The Belize Police Department, along with the Belize Agricultural Health Authority, and several animal activist groups, have stepped in. Oney is now recovering, but his future remains uncertain. News Five’s Paul Lopez has more on this distressing story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

A shocking video showing three young men brutally attacking a horse with a machete has sparked national outrage. The perpetrators, aged sixteen, seventeen, and nineteen, and residents of Pitter Street in Belize City, have been identified and detained by police. Following the video’s viral spread on social media, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams took to Facebook to strongly condemn the act. He emphasized that the Belize Police Department is taking the matter very seriously and will do everything in its power to bring those responsible to justice. We spoke with ComPol Williams for more details.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I can tell you we are looking at the possibility of charges for cruelty to animal and we will seek further advice from the DPP to see if there is any further charges that can levied against those individuals. We need to send a strong signal. We are seeing that this type of occurrence is becoming more prevalent where animals are being treated inhumanely in such a cruel way. My thing is if these young men could have done to the horse, imagine what they could have done to a human being.”

 

The poor horse, named Oney, was left with severe injuries to its head and back. Today, a video surfaced showing that the injuries had worsened overnight, putting Oney’s life at serious risk. Reimers Feed Mill later posted on Facebook, offering to help with the necessary products for Oney’s recovery. We spoke with Rodrigo Blanco, the Marketing Manager at Reimers Feed Mill, to learn more about their efforts.

 

On the Phone: Rodrigo Blanco, Marketing Manager, Reimers Feed Mill

“To be honest when we saw the video we reacted the way everyone is doing, with such disgust, very disappointed that it is actually some young men performing such disgusted thing. For us as a company that really strives on animal care, that is something that we really don’t tolerate those kinds of things there. Our first reaction was to see how we could render assistance. I know the public was trying to get assistance for themselves but we just wanted to ensure that companies can come together and help with this situation.”

 

By late morning, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority had already stepped in to treat Oney. Dr. Jonathon Pech, the Deputy Technical Director of Animal Health at BAHA, reached out to Reimers Feed Mill and accepted their generous offer. BAHA also received support from the Animal Medical Centre. We caught up with Dr. Pech in Belize City as he was wrapping up hours of treatment on the horse for the day.

 

Dr. Jonathon Pech, Deputy Technical Director, BAHA

“As I arrived I saw a horrific scene that the animal had some chop wounds and they were very devastating. I have been practicing in Belize for almost twelve years now. IN all that time I believe this is some of the worst injuries I have seen. I have seen some chop wounds but nothing like this. I saw there was a slah on the right shoulder and above the right eye and it had some minor injuries as well on the legs.”

 

Paul Lopez

“And what was its state this morning, in terms of those injuries?”

 

Dr. Jonathon Pech

“It was full of worms, highly infested.”

 

According to Doctor Pech, samples were taken from the horse to determine if screwworms are in the area.

 

Dr. Jonathon Pech

“I am certain that it is going to pull through, as long as the treatment is given then the probability is high of the horse going back to being normal.”

 

Paul Lopez

“You have guided to the owner.”

 

Dr. Jonathon Pech

“I have instructed, but the person says he will get someone that knows more about horses to come and administer medications.”

 

The horse’s owner is sixteen-year-old Devonte Broaster. With his father’s consent, we spoke with Devonte, who shared that he bought Oney two months ago from a group of young men in Belize City who were mistreating the animal.

 

Devonte Broaster, Horse Owner

“Deh thief my horse so they took it round suh and hide and tell me that they don’t have it. They chop up him.”

 

Paul Lopez

“When you see that video what did that do to you?”

 

Devonte Broaster

“That hurt me, like I feel it in me. I feel it for him. I don’t know what is going on with deh bally. This dah the first horse I ever get, the first horse, I love ah. The way how I get dah video, the own people deh weh chop up the horse send me the video and I just send it to the police deh. Deh the try tek me real light, deh the talk bout I need to give them a bike and money to get back my horse.”

 

Paul Lopez

“You have any issues with them?”

 

Devonte Broaster

“No, I use to hang with deh bally. I don’t know what is going on with them.”

 

Paul Lopez

“What you plan to do with Oney after this?”

 

Devonte Broaster

“I plan to bring ah back and send him to village for some time and then I will ride him, but I just wah lef ah deh mek ih get back.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez

 

The Society for the Promotion of Animal Rescue and Kindness, based in Belize City, is outraged by the brutal attack on the horse seen in the viral video. They’ve noticed a troubling increase in animal abuse reports in the Old Capital and have been fighting against this cruelty for a while. This latest incident has them questioning the state of our society.

 

Michelle Rudon, President, SPARK

“It started from last week with the other situation with the little brown horse. This is something very heartbreaking for us, because we have been fighting it for so long. We have been fighting trying to bring about change and help for these animals. Seeing that video is something I will never get out of my head. WE should not have come to this. Something should have been done before to help these animals. You are barely getting over that one and then there is three four more cases, like what is happening to our society, where are we headed? What is brining about these horrific cases of abuse.”

 

Georgia Luis, Volunteer, SPARK

“When I initially saw the horse, the first one, the little brown horse, I was in shock and I could not believe that us as humans could experience this kind of behavior and as Michelle said, three more animals after that and the one yesterday with the cutting of the animal is just the worst and it ahs to be at some point stop somewhere and just with the media a lot of people are coming out and that is what we need.”

 

Halima Santos, the financial officer at SPARK, questioned the effectiveness of the current animal abuse laws. She pointed out that the fine for the horrific abuse seen in the video is only a measly one hundred dollars.

 

Halima Santos, Financial Advisor, SPARK

“There is a law in place for animal cruelty that talks about animal cruelty and abuse, it is not being used or even put into action, but I think it needs to because at this moment it is not just the horses being abused, it is animals, dogs and animals across the board. We need to go back to the table and make revision of these laws to include imprisonment, especially those who are often doing this sort of cruelty to animals. We want to spread awareness that there is a law for animals being abused. We want to spread awareness to help a voiceless animal who is in dire need. I would like to add on the support of the police department, because yes it is just an animal to them, but they too need help, they too are being abused. We don’t want that when we call the police department they don’t move because it is not a person. It is not an huma being, but it is an act of a crime. So we need the support of the police department to act on these kind of things and give assurance because yes you have done a crime and something will come out of it and another case comes up another day and put aside.”

 

We spoke with Commissioner of Police Chester Williams about the hundred-dollar fine, which is the maximum penalty for animal abuse. We also addressed the criticism that the police don’t take animal abuse reports seriously. Here’s what he had to say.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Unfortunately it is a misdemeanor so it does not carry a stiff penalty so these are things we have to look at to see how we can transform the law. The laws we have in place for these kinds of acts are antiquated. They have been in place post independence. Times have changed so there is a need to look at those laws to see how we can strengthen it to serve as a deterrent to those who may wish to continue those types of activities.”

 

Paul Lopez

“My understanding is that the fine is somewhere around one hundred dollars. Is that your understanding?”

 

Chester Williams

“Somewhere around there yes.”

 

Paul Lopez

“The criticism is that whenever police is called to reports of animals abuse where horses are concerned, and animal abuse in general, they don’t take these reports seriously.”

 

Chester Williams

“The thing is we try to do as best as we can. There are instances where we require the support of the owners and we don’t get that support. While the penalties for the offense, which is cruelty to animals, may carry a small fine, we are also looking abatement to commit cruelty to animal. The abetment will take the penalty more severe. So we are hoping to go that route to send a stronger signal to those young men and to others who may have in mind to carry out such acts.”