BASTROP COUNTY, Texas — The Humane Society of the United States has joined Bastrop County animal activists in asking county commissioners to put animal cruelty on a future agenda.
This comes as the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office continues looking into allegations of animal abuse after pictures of a disturbingly thin white horse surfaced on Facebook in August.
KVUE viewers were upset and complained to us and to the sheriff's office. That horse died shortly after those pictures were posted.
The Humane Society wants to take action in the area by forming an Animal Advisory Committee.
"It would mean so much to animal activists and us. Our main concern is to promote animal welfare. We want to help the animals in any county, including Bastrop, and we want to help the residents," said Texas Deputy Director for the Humane Society, Nikki Prather.
Prather and Katie Jarl, who works with the Humane Society, went before the Bastrop Commissioners Court Monday to propose the idea of an Animal Advisory Committee.
Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape told KVUE in a statement, "I look forward to learning more about the Humane Society and their programs as we explore the possibilities of an Animal Advisory Committee. I believe we all want to do what is right when it comes to our animals."
Pape encouraged the Humane Society to meet with Bastrop County Animal Services.
Animal activists, like Adette Quintana, were still concerned about remaining animals on that property.
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"I'm sad for these animals," said Quintana.
Quintana is a board member with the Bastrop County Animal Advocates. She said she doesn't entirely trust the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office doing a thorough investigation.
"This isn't the first thing that has happened in Bastrop County where nothing changes," said Quintana.
Quintana said she has filed animal abuse complaints before in this and another case but says they have fallen on deaf ears.
"Sadly we've got the good ol' boy system out here and I've seen citizens come in and it changes and it has to happen. This is a can of worms that opened for a reason," said Quintana.
That's why Quintana and several other neighbors went before the Bastrop County Commissioners Monday morning.
During the public comment portion at the beginning of Commissioners Court, the group asked that the issue of animal cruelty be placed on a future agenda.
Katie Jarl with the Humane Society of the United States was also at the meeting.
"There is no reason for a horse to be turned over on the side of a blazing hot field without access to the care that it needed. At the very least, that animal should have been humanely euthanized and not left to suffer in that way ... Yes, they do lose weight. Yes, they do need special treatment. None of them get skinny like that, tip over and die of heat exhaustion in the middle of the field," said Jarl.
She said none of the elected officials responded to their request.
Jarl also sent a letter to the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office on Friday. In it, she offered the Humane Society's expert services and financial assistance to help with the investigation at the property in question. She has yet to hear from the sheriff's office.
But Sheriff Maurice Cook returned KVUE's call around 4:45 p.m. While he wouldn't answer specific questions about the case, he said he planned to release more information about the investigation on Facebook sometime on Tuesday.
As for the letter, Sheriff Cook said he has not seen it.
KVUE's Jenni Lee also tried talking to members of Commissioners Court but members exited from the back of the court after the executive session.