Animal Advocates Watchdog
And these types walk among us! Were further checks done on this poor soul when BCSPCA knew of the condition it was in?
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Two Brentwood Bay men have been charged with animal cruelty in a bizarre case where an elderly, emaciated horse was killed by hanging.
David Whiffin and Clayton Cunningham will appear in Victoria provincial court Nov. 30. If convicted, the two face a maximum fine of $10,000, up to five years in jail and a prohibition against owning animals.
They are accused of allowing a 27-year-old appaloosa gelding named Jalupae to starve, and then tying its neck to the bucket of an excavator, raising it so the horse was off the ground. It died from strangulation.
The case is the worst SPCA investigators have seen in recent memory, said animal protection officer Erika Paul, noting it doesn’t involve neglect, lack of knowledge or finances.
“This is right at the other end of the spectrum,” said Paul. “How somebody does this is beyond my comprehension.”
Lynsay Bailey, the SPCA officer who investigated the case, said it’s difficult to understand why someone would allow an animal to die in that way. “We deal with horrific animal cruelty every day in our work, but this case is particularly heinous.”
Al Mercer of North Cowichan gave Jalupae to Whiffin a year ago. “He was looking for a small horse for his kids to ride,” Mercer said yesterday.
The horse was older but in pretty good health. Mercer talked to Whiffin for an hour and thought he’d found a good home for the animal.
Now Mercer is devastated. “That guy murdered my horse. I delivered the horse to his property and it looked good.”
Investigators received a complaint in early September that the horse was in bad condition.
“It couldn’t process its food because of its age,” said Paul. “The medical condition was ignored.”
The horse’s teeth were in bad shape but there appeared to be no attempt to soak its food so it could get nutrition, said Paul.
“I don’t know if the horse was too old, too far gone, but nevertheless they ignored the signs. The horse was dropping weight and looking like a bone-rack.
“The person in care and control of the horse should be aware of that.”
The SPCA ordered Whiffin to take action. Whiffin called a veterinarian, who advised that the horse should be euthanized.
Whiffin later admitted to SPCA investigators that on Sept. 15 he killed the horse by using an excavator to hang it. It’s unclear why he didn’t call a veterinarian, which is usual in such cases. Whiffin owns a large acreage at 739 Mount Newton Cross Rd. No one answered the door at the residence on Whiffin’s property and Cunningham couldn’t be reached for comment.
A decade ago, Whiffin made headlines when he bought a Vancouver landmark restaurant, Trader Vic’s, and moved it onto his property with the idea of showcasing Saanich Peninsula wines. Those plans never came to fruition.
