SINGAPORE: An appeal by Gallop Stable to overturn a conviction for animal cruelty was dismissed by the High Court on Friday (Apr 20).
Following an eight-day trial, the stable, which facilitates horse-riding activities, was fined S$9,000 in May last year for failing to provide adequate veterinary attention to one of its animals.
A retired racehorse named Sharpy was found to be suffering from severe inflammation and infection at the stable’s premises in Pasir Ris in May 2013 by Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) vet Dr Wendy Toh when she visited the ranch unannounced.
It had contracted cellulitis, a serious bacterial infection with a high mortality rate in horses.
On Friday, representing the stable, lawyer Simon Tan argued that staff had done their due diligence by calling for a vet when they discovered an open wound on the mare, even before Dr Toh’s visit.
He said that Maneesha Shanker, daughter of the stable owner, who was in charge of the horse, called the vet on May 15, 2013, the day she discovered its wound.
AdvertisementAdvertisementHe added that the stable had been medicating the horse for symptoms such as swelling prior to that in the belief that the horse was suffering from lymphangitis, which presents similar symptoms.
The horse was diagnosed with lymphangitis in Malaysia, where it was reared years ago, the court heard. The court also heard that such symptoms could be alleviated by walking the horse.
It was “not unreasonable” for Gallop Stable to mistake Sharpy’s symptoms for those of lymphangitis instead of cellulitis, Mr Tan argued. Quoting expert evidence, he said that initially, they appear “very similar”.
LATE MEDICAL ATTENTION LED TO UNNECESSARY SUFFERING: PROSECUTION
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Zu Zhao said in his written submissions that all expert witnesses agreed that Sharpy would have suffered from symptoms like lameness, pain, and fever before its wound started rotting.
He argued that late medical attention led to the horse “suffering unnecessarily” due to rotting wound.
He told the court that there were differences in the version of events given by Maneesha in her statement and during the trial, and that the prosecution was sticking to the statement.
“She had first observed a wound three days before May 15,” he said, based on her statement. She had described its appearance as being “bubbly”, and that a day later, skin was “peeling away” from the wound.
The timing of when the disease manifested as an open wound and therefore requiring urgent attention was a key point of contention during the hearing. There was no conclusion on the timing.
Justice Chan Seng Onn dismissed the appeal, and upheld the S$9,000 fine. Meanwhile, Gallop Stable, which manages between 120 and 150 horses across three stables, has nursed Sharpy back to health.
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