Pair named over alleged horse hanging
November 18, 2009
The men charged with starved then strangling Jalupae have been named. © British Columbia SPCA
The two Canadian men accused of starving a horse and hanging it by an excavator bucket have been named by the British Columbia SPCA.
They are Brentwood Bay residents David Whiffin and Clayton Cunningham.
Crown counsel has charged the pair with animal cruelty after a 27-year-old Appaloosa gelding named Jalupae was allegedly starved to the point of emaciation and then hung to death on a waterfront acreage in Brentwood Bay.
"It is so difficult to fathom why anyone would inflict such pain and suffering on an innocent animal," said Lynsay Bailey, the SPCA special constable who investigated the case.
"We deal with horrific animal cruelty every day in our work, but this case was particularly heinous."
According to the SPCA investigation, the accused allegedly allowed Jalupae to starve to the point of emaciation and then tied a rope around the horse's neck and attached it to the bucket of an excavator, raising Jalupae off the ground until he died of strangulation.
"I can only imagine the abject terror and pain this poor animal must have experienced before he died," said Bailey.
"We are extremely pleased that Crown counsel approved these charges so that we can seek some justice for Jalupae."
If convicted, the accused face a maximum fine of $C10,000, up to five years in jail and a prohibition on owning animals.
