At least 15 Kentucky horses found shot to death at strip mine site, authorities say
At least 15 roaming horses were fatally shot at a Kentucky strip mine site, authorities said, describing it as a "battlefield for just horses."
The horses were found along U.S. 23 near the Floyd-Pike County line, WYMT-TV reported Tuesday. Some were as young as a year and others were pregnant, authorities said.
“This is very inhumane and it's a very cruel act of somebody who just apparently had nothing else to do or whatever just to go back on a strip job and shoot down horses who were, one of them obviously was feeding, had grass in its mouth,” Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt said. "It looked like a battlefield for just horses."
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The department is working with Dumas Rescue, an animal rescue group, to save any injured horses.
Tonya Conn, a spokeswoman for the group, said the horses had been scattered over a large area and that it appears they were hunted.
"Seeing them gunned down is ... beyond horrific," Conn said.
Those responsible could face animal cruelty charges, authorities said.
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