Yesterday two mares, sequestrated for mistreatment in Lucca by the Corpo Forestale dello Stato di Lucca (Forest Guards), on the Procurator Office’s orders, arrived at the IHP Rescue Center.

They are both in bad condition: extremely thin and clearly neglected. For them now begins a period of rehabilitation and a new life without exploitation by people without any scruples. We don’t know the mares’ age, and the one stated on the passports is unlikely; certainly they are no longer young.

There are two behind-the-scenes facts in this story that deserve some attention.

The place where the mares where sequestrated was, until a little time ago, a teaching farm, a place where children were taken to learn about the life of the animals in nature…this demonstrates how it is always necessary to check the conditions the animals are kept in and the real knowledge of the owners, not trusting banners and advertising.

What happened on the eve of the scheduled transfer of the sequestrated mares to our centre is even more paradoxical.

The Procurator Office, in the person of the Procurator’s assistant, Mr. Mariotti, as told us by the Forest Guards of Lucca, wouldn’t have authorized the already scheduled transfer if our association didn’t give up the right to receive the minimal fee (set by law)for the custody, support and care of the mares.

Basically he would have left the mares in the unfortunate conditions they were living in and because of which they had been sequestrated!

Even if we don’t have adequate resources to support two more horses, we thought of them before all…thus we bowed to the request in order to make them arrive to our rescue centre.

However, we reserve the right to get the bottom of this situation in the appropriate places. What happened clamorously disavows the spirit of the law against animal mistreatment and make useless all the efforts by associations and law enforcement officers to denounce who commits this crime; moreover it discourage the birth of other rescue centres.

We thank the Commanding Staff of San Rossore Park (PI) Forest Guards for the availability of van used to transport the mares to us.