SHOPPERS and passersby were shocked and saddened to see an abandoned horse in the middle of Limerick City this Wednesday morning (October 16).
The Shetland pony was found tied to a pole at the junction of Catherine Street and Thomas Street and could be seen using the cover of the former Habit café’s outside seating area for shelter.
Photos and videos of the animal were widely shared across social media, leading to upset and outrage that someone could treat an animal in such a way.
Limerick Animal Welfare (LAW) posted a picture of the pony on its social media channels, with local Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan also sharing the post calling for help for the abandoned animal left alone in the rain.
“A pony tied to a lamppost on Catherine Street this morning. I have alerted @LimerickCouncil to this,” Cllr O’Donovan wrote on her X (formerly Twitter) account.
“Let’s hope this horse can be saved and re-homed. Most horses seized like this are put down. This is animal cruelty and breaks my heart to see it so visible on our streets,” she added.
In a statement to the Limerick Post, a spokeswoman for An Garda Síochána said that local Gardaí were made aware of the animal, but that”on arrival at the scene there was no animal present on Catherine Street or the surrounding areas”.
Limerick Animal Welfare later confirmed on via Facebook that the Shetland pony had been taken away and was safe.
It was reported by this newspaper earlier this year that more than 1,000 horses have been seized in Limerick by the local authority since 2016 – more than any other local authority in the country.
According to the Council’s website, horses seized in Limerick are detained for five days to allow owners to make themselves known and provide relevant documentation. After this point, if unclaimed, the animals are re-homed to a horse charity.
