SOUTHWEST RANCHES, Fla. – The Animal Recovery Mission is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the theft and suspected butchering of two pet horses who were taken last week from their home in Southwest Ranches.
According to a news release from ARM, Milagros, a 9-month-old filly, and Venus, a 2-year-old filly, were stolen from their home in the Rolling Oaks area of Southwest Ranches on Friday.
“It is a baby. The baby of my child,” Mariel Cascata, one of Milagros’ owners, said.
ARM officials say the horses were led through a fence at the back of the property that the thieves broke through sometime between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Friday.
“They broke the fence,” World Class Equestrian Center owner Pablo Gamboa said. “They walked them out to the road. We followed the tracks and then we couldn’t follow them anymore so we don’t know what happened. They got stolen.”
Gamboa said the horses were taken between the hours of 2 and 4 a.m. from a pen that has security cameras that were inoperable due to storms.
Matias Cascata, who also owns Milagros, said “I was wishing she was okay and no one did something to her.”
“There is a grave concern that the fillies were preyed upon and have become the victims of the black-market horse meat trade,” the news release stated. “This illegal activity promotes violent butchering of horses to sell their meat for human consumption – an industry that has plagued the State of Florida for decades.”
The owner of the horses immediately contacted ARM after discovering the horses were missing.
According to ARM, Friday’s incident comes after two other horses, War and Sammy, were stolen and killed.
Their remains were found dumped along a canal earlier this year in Homestead, which is another renowned horse slaughter hot spot.
ARM, along with the Davie Police Department, is investigating this latest case.
“Let Milagro return to our homes please,” Matias Cascata said.
According to ARM, the slaughter of horses is a third-degree felony in Florida and punishable by a minimum of one year in jail and a $3,500 fine.
Those with information about this case are asked to contact the Animal Recovery Mission through ARM’s Report a Crime Hotline or the Davie Police Department by calling 954-693-8200.