No charges planned in deaths of horses
Canadian Press
July 9, 2005
Police will not lay charges in an ill-fated trail ride that ended in the deaths of nine rodeo horses when they were spooked crossing a bridge and fell into the Bow River.
The Criminal Code requires cruelty to animals to be "wilful" before prosecution takes place, Calgary police spokesman Don Stewart said.
Nine horses on their way to the Calgary Stampede died Sunday after falling from the Bonnybrook Bridge in southeast Calgary. They were apparently spooked by a passing train.
"The Calgary Stampede is now synonymous with animal abuse," said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals director Debbie Leahy.