Miniature horses poisoned at petting zoo in NC, owners say. ‘Our babies are gone’
The owners of Sprinkle’s Mobile Petting Zoo in North Carolina woke up one morning in late June to nothing short of a nightmare.
The zoo discovered that three of its miniature horses had been fatally poisoned and at least two more animals were exposed to the poison, according to a statement from the Rutherfordton facility on Facebook.
“Our farm zoo is in gloom and the sadness we have can be seen with all of the other animals,” the owners wrote. “Our community has lost 3 precious very much loved angels who brought love, joy and healing to so many children and families.”
The zoo believes that a trespasser may have poisoned the animals on June 23 or 24, WLOS reported.
Two more animals, a donkey and a miniature horse, are at risk and were sent to a hospital, according to the zoo’s post.
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office didn’t provide names of suspects but told WLOS that whoever may be responsible for poisoning the animals will face animal cruelty charges.
At least one of the miniature horses that died was pregnant, according to the zoo’s GoFundMe.
“The hardest lost is Dreamsickle, carrying her baby inside who just passed,” the owners wrote on the GoFundMe. “She was the joy of the party … she walked into nursing homes to bring joy to the residents who loved her. Visited schools. She helped special needs kids.”
The owners demanded justice for the poisoned animals and called for the person responsible to face charges.
“Our babies are gone,” the owners wrote on Facebook. “We will not stop looking for this monster that did this.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Sprinkle’s Mobile Petting Zoo.
Rutherford County is about 73 miles northwest of Charlotte.
This story was originally published June 30, 2022 at 3:11 PM with the headline "Miniature horses poisoned at petting zoo in NC, owners say. ‘Our babies are gone’."
