SEQUIM — The Olympic Peninsula Humane Society is collecting donations for 16 starving horses that were seized by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
The horses, which include a foal, three pregnant mares and a stallion, had faced starvation and malnutrition and were said to be underweight by 50 to 200 pounds each.
A veterinarian gave two of the horses only a 50 percent chance of survival, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputy Tracey Kellas, Clallam County animal control officer, has been overseeing the care of the herd, Cameron said.
Donors can stop by the Humane Society shelter at 2105 W. Highway 101 in Port Angeles, phone the society at 360-457-8206, or donate at any First Federal Bank, said Mary Beth Wegener, executive director of the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society.
The fund is being operated under the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society Horse Rescue organization, Wegener said.
The horses were seized from a mother and daughter who said they had rescued them. Buffy Campbell, 41, and Heather Gouldart, 19, have not been arrested or charged.
Undersheriff Ron Peregrin said the horses’ health had deteriorated and the animals were not being properly fed.
“The evidence is they were not being taken care of properly,” he said.
The owner of the property, Dean Ridgeway, had agreed to allow Campbell and Gouldart to keep their horses in his pastures in exchange for help with horse training, Kellas said.
The case has been forwarded to the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which will consider charges.
Kellas said the Sheriff’s Office is covering the cost of the horses’ care for now.
She said the owners have 15 days to reclaim the horses through court proceedings. If the request is denied or not made, the horses will be placed with new owners, possibly a licensed rescue center, the Sheriff’s Office said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
