According to the Humane Society of North Texas they had no food, water, nor shelter.
The Humane Society of North Texas (HSNT) and the Hill County Sheriff's Department rescued 338 Longhorn cattle from a property in Aquilla, Texas. While the cows are not available for adoption yet, the Humane Society is asking for food and monetary donations to their Equine Livestock Fund.
More than 300 cattle were safely removed from the property where they were slowly being starved to death. 15 cows were already dead on the property and others had to be euthanized due to severe malnourishment. Officials say that while they were herding the cattle onto trailers some were falling over because they are so weak.
Judging from the Facebook comments, this issue of animal abuse with the property owner has been seen before.
The herd's owner, Leletia O'Malley, signed an agreement in December stating that she had to hire someone to care for the Longhorns. But photographs taken on Feb. 7 show dead cattle and the surviving herd with body condition scores ranging from "very thin" to "borderline."
The search warrant found no hay or protein on the property, and no enclosure for the cattle even in sub-zero temperatures. The dead cattle were disposed of near water drains that feed into Patton Lake.
https://www.facebook.com/HumaneSocietyofNorthTexas/posts/10155507836466748
The 338 Texas Longhorns are currently being assessed and cared for by Humane Society of North Texas veterinarians, including a 72-hour-old calf that they found still connected by the umbilical cord.
The court date is set for Friday, Feb. 16 at 1:30 p.m. in Hill County. The Humane Society will provide updates as to when the cows will be up for adoption on their Facebook page.
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