BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — One local woman is making a big difference across the country by focusing her efforts on saving one life at a time and after a recent incident of alleged animal neglect she is now speaking out.
Horses are oftentimes referred to as gentle giants and one local rescue group wants to raise awareness for creatures like this.
“They don’t have a voice to speak for themselves. They can’t stand up for themselves. And it’s our job to get in and protect them. Protect who they are,” said Tahlia Fisher, Director and Founder of All Seated In a Barn.
Fisher said her organization started after rescuing a donkey.
“And it turned into well let’s help more donkeys because of them being exported for a tea in china on amazon- which led into horses, which led to this beast of an operation and unfortunately this hugely corrupt industry,” said Fisher.
Fisher now has more than 160 donkeys and horses in her care all with different stories from across the globe. The care is not cheap however, it’s about $90,000 a month, but Fisher said it’s worth it.
“I hope to see change. I hope that I can walk away and know that together we made an impact on an industry that has gone left untouched for a very long time,” said Fisher.
Fisher told 23ABC she wants people to be held accountable.
“We have to kill pens set up throughout the United States that are USDA approved to export horses for slaughter. You go into a pawn shop they weigh it. They hand you cash, and the horse disappears. So, everything from your rodeo, your racehorses, injured. Any horse disappears. So, we step in-help them & give them a chance of a second shot,” said Fisher.
With Fishers most recent rescue out of a kill pen in Texas. Prompting her to speak with 23ABC, were photos of what she called one of the most extreme cases of neglect she’s ever seen in a horse.
Which fisher said show gashes of rotting tissue from longtime untreated wounds.
“With all these abscess channels going everywhere. It’s awful it was filled with maggots,” said Fisher.
The horse named Phoenix is currently getting treatment before hopefully being transported here To Kern County for further help.
“We’re crossing our fingers and hoping it’s not all the way down to the spinal column because then in that case we will, unfortunately, have to put that horse to sleep,” said Fisher.
