QUARRYVILLE, Pa. — A Lancaster County man has been charged with a felony count of animal cruelty and a misdemeanor count of failing to provide necessary veterinary care after the investigation of reports of an injured horse he owned, according to the Pennsylvania SPCA.
Mark Fisher, of Quarryville, was charged by the PSPCA and Lancaster County detectives on Tuesday, the PSPCA said.
He is accused of knowingly and intentionally torturing a Morgan horse, causing it to suffer a prolonged period of pain, according to the PSPCA.
The charges stem from an incident first reported to the PSPCA on August 30, 2020. Members of the organization's Humane Law Enforcement team received a tip on its cruelty hotline regarding the horse, which was seen limping with a potentially dislocated leg on a property in Quarryville, the PSPCA said.
Humane officers found an underweight horse in an overgrown pasture with its ankle bent in a manner causing it to have extreme difficulty walking, the PSPCA said.
Fisher allegedly told the officers that the horse had been hit by a car in early 2020 and no veterinary care had been sought.
The horse was unable to put any weight on the injured leg, causing it to alter its gait to the point where it could put no pressure on its front legs at all, according to the PSPCA. The horse relied on her back legs to hobble forward, the PSPCA alleges.
Based upon the horse’s condition, the humane officer ordered immediate veterinary care to end the horse’s ongoing suffering as soon as possible, the PSPCA said.
Fisher opted to euthanize the horse himself by walking it up a hill and shooting it, according to the PSPCA.
“The suffering of the beautiful animal involved in this case is heartbreaking,” said Nicole Wilson, Director of Humane Law Enforcement & Shelter Operations at the Pennsylvania SPCA. “For months instead of providing veterinary care or euthanizing the filly to ease her pain, her owner forced her to suffer in silence. The images of this poor horse walking while so physically broken are excruciating. We are seeking justice in her name to the fullest extent of the law.”
Anyone with information about this case or other cases involving animal cruelty, is urged to call the Pennsylvania SPCA’s Cruelty Hotline at (866) 601-SPCA. Tips can be left anonymously.
