An investigation was opened in Pfastatt (Haut-Rhin) after the discovery of a horse seriously injured in the shoulder, probably by a knife, and a metal part stuck in a hoof, AFP learned on Friday October 2 from police source.
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The equine was found Thursday morning by its owner while he was lying down and unable to get back on his feet.
The veterinarian, called on the spot to treat him, discovered the metal part in the hoof but especially a large bleeding wound on the left shoulder.
Sixteen centimeters long by six wide, this wound was clean and straight, and could not be accidental, according to the practitioner.
According to the veterinarian, this injury was on the contrary of human origin and had been caused by a sharp object, such as a knife.
Moreover, according to the owner, the horse was in the park and not in its usual enclosure, which suggested that someone had opened the enclosures.
Other horses were also outside the pens.
An investigation was opened by the police, the forensic identity specialists, having already taken the samples necessary for the investigations.
Since August, acts of mutilation, mainly of horses, have been reported across French territory.
About 200 investigations have been opened, but only about thirty cases are considered to be of human nature, according to the gendarmerie.
In Arnac-Pompadour (Corrèze), where the French Horse Institute (IFCE) is located, a national listening center responds to “
distress
”
calls from
owners.