A farmer has been convicted of an animal welfare offence after donkeys in his care had to be rehomed or put to sleep due to the level of neglect.
Campbeltown resident Albert Sauer was handed a £300 fine and a 10-year-ban on owning donkeys or horses earlier this month.
Authorities seized 11 donkeys from the 86-year-old, two of which later had to be put to sleep, and rehomed them with The Donkey Sanctuary.
After failing to provide adequate foot care for the animals, their hooves became deformed and left them unable to walk.
While investigating the site back in 2019, SCPA inspectors found that some of the animals were underweight, infected with lice and had bald patches on their coats.
Sauer advised the inspectors that the donkeys had not seen a vet for some time.
The Scottish SPCA later returned to the site with Hannah Bryer, head of welfare at The Donkey Sanctuary and a vet from Greenway Equine Veterinary Services.
The vet concluded the hooves had become so overgrown that some donkeys would be unable to bear weight properly again.
Eight of the donkeys under his care were suffering as a result of neglect and after a visit to a veterinarian the decision was taken to put two of the animals to sleep.
Guilty plea entered
At his trial on October 14 in Campbeltown Sheriff Court, the 86-year-old pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to eight donkeys under Section 19 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 in September 2020.
Scottish SPCA inspector Yvonne Inglis, who led the investigation, said: “This is without a doubt the worst case of equine neglect I’ve come across.
“Eight of the donkeys had severely overgrown feet that only developed because they had gone untreated for a prolonged period of time.
“All it would have taken to save these donkeys from months of pain and suffering was regular foot trimming from a farrier.
“The state of the hooves led to severe lameness and two having to be put to sleep.
“There is no justification for allowing the health of these poor donkeys to deteriorate to this point.”
The animals have since been moved to the charities’ Devon-based location, where they are receiving care and treatment.
Donkeys on the mend
It has taken a long time to bring the nine donkeys back to full health, each of them required a special diet to build their weight back up.
They also required attention from a farrier to care for their hooves and visits from the dentist.
Hannah Bryer, head of welfare at The Donkey Sanctuary, added: “Cases like these are extremely distressing and highlight the terrible neglect that sadly some donkeys continue to experience in Great Britain today.
“Owning donkeys is a hugely rewarding experience and a wonderful privilege.
“Donkeys require caring and compassionate management to ensure they lead healthy and enriched lives.
“Donkeys are incredibly stoic animals by their nature, often the true extent of their suffering is misunderstood, however there is no doubt in this case that the suffering and pain endured by these donkeys would have been noticeable to anyone.
“Our welfare team continue to work to improve the lives of donkeys and mules in our communities through expert advice, guidance and support.’”