Mike O’Connell Horse Collecting Station, Mobridge, SD August 11-13, 2012

Date: 
Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - 14:00
Investigation Category: 

(Horses held … to be transported and slaughtered) (Temperature 79º 69º 76º)

Mike O’Connell has been in the horse slaughter business for 40 years and ships thousands of horses to slaughter every year. O’Connell attends auctions all across the Midwest and Southwest and is a regular visitor at the Southwest Livestock Auction in Los Lunas, NM.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,458268,00.html#ixzz20DfWw5Iw

1:00 p.m. Investigators arrived at the premises at The property appeared run-down, with a lot of old cars, equipment, metal parts and other trash scattered around rusted barns and a single wide-trailer. A small loading ramp was located next to the barn. Approximately 50 horses and a few goats were visible in manure-covered pens located behind the barn. Huge manure piles were everywhere. Several of the horses appeared very thin.

Mostly pregnant mares with foals by their sides were observed in the surrounding fields. Both the fields as well as the pens contained a lot of dangerous rusted metal

Several smaller horse trailers were parked on the premises. No tractor/trailers were observed, but there were several trucks with double or single deck-trailers parked across the street. A women was observed providing hay to the horses. Investigators monitored the premises several hours, but there was no activity.