MAGICAL DECISION FOR MARVIN
| MAGICAL DECISION FOR MARVIN A tethered pony now has a safe future following a court case that concluded last Thursday (July 17) at Basildon Magistrates Court, resulting in a hefty fine and conditional discharge for the owner. |  |
Whilst tethering in itself is not illegal, if the tethering is causing suffering then the owner is in breach of animal welfare laws. The young stallion - since named Marvin by Redwings - was underweight and had wounds on his head and nose caused by the headcollar, which was padlocked to a very heavy chain staked to the ground. Jo contacted the local RSPCA inspector, and together they arranged for a vet to assess Marvin's condition. The vet agreed that Marvin was suffering as a result of his low weight, untreated wounds and unsuitable method of tethering. Marvin's owner was contacted and the pony transferred under police supervision to Redwings Ada Cole for veterinary treatment and much needed TLC.
Marvin's owner refused to sign the pony into Redwings' care, or admit that he was guilty of causing suffering, so the RSPCA began legal proceedings to ensure that Marvin did not have to be returned. The new Animal Welfare Act did not come into force until April 2007 - and Marvin was reported to Redwings in December 2006 - so Marvin's owner was prosecuted under the previous Protection of Animals Act.
After three days of evidence this week, the judge at Basildon Magistrates' Court yesterday agreed that Marvin's owner was guilty of causing his pony unnecessary suffering, fined him £3,000 and gave him a three-year conditional discharge. He was also forced to relinquish ownership of Marvin and the pony has now been signed over into Redwings care.
"Marvin is a very cheeky chap," said Jo Franklin "and it is sad to think that anyone could have treated him so irresponsibly. We're grateful to the member of the public who originally alerted us to his situation and to the RSPCA, vet and judge who ensured that Marvin's story did eventually end happily ever after."
Being an 18-month old stallion when he was rescued, as Marvin regained health and strength he became quite a lively, headstrong character! Now that legal proceedings have concluded, Redwings will finally be able to geld Marvin as he is now legally signed over to the charity. This means he will mean that he will be able to be turned out with other equines, be generally safer for staff to look after and have a much calmer outlook on life.
As he is young and now in excellent health, it is possible that in the future Marvin maybe re-homed under the guardianship scheme, which means that he will be able to have an active family life whilst remaining in the ownership of Redwings.
To learn more about Redwings, visit http://www.redwings.co.uk
Added on: 21/07/08.
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