Abandoned foal has found a new home

What happened to this little guy is more and more commonplace these days. The very young colt was abandoned by someone that left him to fend for himself – not much of a chance for a two-day old baby – until he starved to death or was killed by a predator. As luck would have it, the foal was discovered lost, lonely and hungry on a remote Welsh hilltop.

This innocent young creature was luckier than most. He found a caring new home with Redwings.

He was found by three hikers at the end of a remote way in Llangynidr in Powys. They were unable to find his dam anywhere, and he would not drink anything. The hikers called the RSPCA from a nearby farm to get help.

Christine McNeil who is the local RSPCA inspector, met up with the trio and little Derek, as the foal is now named, on the farmer’s quad bike. They arranged to remove Derek to one of the RSPCA’s rescue centers where he began putting on weight and regaining his health from the very beginning.

McNeil said,

This rescue demonstrates the teamwork between the RSPCA and the public. We are reliant on the public to alert us to animals in distress and in this instance their practical help was invaluable. We are grateful to Reg Hunt and his friends for their vigilance and to the farmer for his assistance.

Now two months old, the young colt has now been offered a permanent home at Redwings. Once he is through the required time in quarantine at the RSPCA headquarters, he’ll head to his new home.

Rachel Angell from Redwings who is their senior welfare coordinator said,

Sadly Derek's story is not an isolated incident. We are increasingly seeing male foals in particular being heartlessly abandoned as part of what is an increasing equine crisis.

Everyone at Redwings is happy he was found in time. He is doing very well and is healthy and spirited.

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