Accused of cruelty

An SPCA investigator has begun the preliminary work into a case of alleged animal cruelty and neglect at an O’Connor Township property, OPP confirmed Monday.

A Facebook page created recently alleges that animals living on the property in the Thunder Bay area have not been provided with proper shelter and are suffering from malnourishment and other ailments.

Photographs posted on the Facebook page and sent to the tbnewswatch.com newsroom show horses that appear to be underweight, and close-ups of cracked and broken hooves.

Another photograph shows a cow that appears to be missing its ears, which members of the group speculate is the result of frostbite.   
The author of the Facebook page also alleges that the owner of the animals may be ill and unable to care for them properly.

“I contacted the SPCA today and they’ve received a complaint about it,” said Thunder Bay OPP detachment commander Dan Peters. “They have an investigator here in Thunder Bay.

"At this point in time they have not requested our assistance. If they need help they will request the OPP’s assistance.”

The Thunder Bay and District Humane Society was contacted, but no one was able to provide comment Monday afternoon.

The creator of the Facebook page alleges that 40 or more horses and 30 or more cows are located on the property.