Butchered horse found in Miami-Dade

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. ā€“ Another butchered horse was discovered in rural western Miami-Dade County.

A police officer on patrol made the gruesome discovery. The chopped up remains of a pony were dumped in the 17900 block of NW 128th Avenue. The bloody scene was just plain disturbing to witnesses.

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"I found two puncture wounds under the chin and that's basically how the horse is bled out and the throat was slashed but it took a while for this horse to die," said Richard Couto, founder of Animal Rescue Mission, a private organization that investigates animal abuse cases.

Just last month, another butchered horse was found in this same location. Couto said the horse meat is a delicacy for some people, and the demand for it is high.

"This guy, his meat his probably on someone's grill, someone is sitting down and consuming this horse as we speak," said Couto.

He said it was a female pony, probably around 5-years-old. It was likely someone's pet and probably stolen. The horse was well cared for; it had new horseshoes, a nice coat and its mane had been brushed.

"Too many times, too many times," said Alberto Medina who lives just down the rural dirt road. He called this area a popular illegal dump site for stolen cars, construction debris and myriad of other items. The area is known as the C-9 basin.

"This is a shame because it makes everybody around here look bad," Medina said.

"The C-9 basin is a hotbed of illegal activity and horse slaughter is at the top of the list," Couto said.

He and his partner documented the find and said they will work with police to help track down the killers.

"If this person that killed this animal is caught, they're looking at a minimum of a year in prison," Cuoto said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at 305-493-TIPS.