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Slaughtered Horses Found In SW Miami-Dade Field

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE (CBSMiami) – Animal activists have made a disturbing discovery; the slaughter of two horses whose remains were found dumped in Southwest Miami-Dade, months apart.

Thursday night, investigators from the Animal Recovery Mission found more than 150-pieces of a horse in the area of SW 81st Terrace and 123rd Avenue after being called by a neighbor.

Friday morning, while they were investigating the scene of the slaughtered horse, an employee with the Animal Recovery Mission found the remains of  a second horse in the same area that was dumped there several months ago.  All that was left were the bones.

However, there were serious signs of abuse on the first horse found Thursday night.

"This horse was beaten, stabbed to death, butchered alive, it really suffered," said Richard Couto from the Animal Recovery Mission.

Couto said the remains of the second horse had been there a while.

"Some person is using this as a dump site for butchered horses," said Couto. "It was dumped here a while ago and covered in concrete and construction debris, enough to conceal it for the past three or four months."

Couto said the selling of illegal horse meat is a multi-million dollar industry especially in Florida.

"People are eating this for medical purposes thinking it cures cancers, helps the side effects of chemotherapy, helps with blood disorders and males are eating this thinking that it helps with the libido. Unbelievably, it actually is the reverse," said Couto.

"The drugs administered to these animals toxifies the meat so whoever ate this horse, this horse meat, isn't probably feeling too good right now."

Couto said they don't know where the horse came from or if it was stolen but he said he believes it was a cared for pet because it had brand new horse shoes and was under the age two.

Each time he finds a slaughtered horse, it's a tough sight.

"It's awful every time you come to one of these scenes especially when you see signs of serious abuse. When you don't see a bullet hole in the head of an animal in the head of a horse you know how much he suffered," explained Couto.

Police are investigating and no arrests have been made.

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