MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- A Central Florida woman will likely be charged with animal cruelty and neglect after nearly 120 emaciated horses, donkeys and ponies were found on a ranch, officers said.
"It is horrid," neighbor Tina Rhodes said. "It breaks your heart to see (the animals). They are starving to death."
Tips from callers concerning the horses led animal service officers to a ranch in the 4000 block of Northeast Highway 316 in Fort McCoy Thursday.
When animal services officers checked the animals, it was determined the they had suffered months of neglect, Local 6 reported.
"Preventing this from happening could have been very, very simple," Marion County animal services representative Dawn Stephen said.
Francine Derby is owner of the property and the animals, Local 6 reported.
"She is devastated," friend Dennis Johnson said. "She is going to try and do whatever she can to see if she can get her animals back.
Johnson said Derby is a loving animal owner, but allegedly confessed that she was overwhelmed, Local 6 reported.
"She realized that she has too many horses," Johnson said. "It is hard for one person to take care of them. She is doing the best she can and apparently that is not good enough."
Johnson said the woman cared for sick horses.
"She took a lot of rescue horses in," Johnson said. "And those are the horses they are depicting as abused. There are no horses here that have been abused."
Animal service representatives said the horses and other animals are suffering from a lack of food and care.
Animal workers brought feed for the animals Thursday night.
County spokesman Judge Cochran said the county had not yet removed the animals from the properties, but court documents filed earlier gave the county possession of the animals.
Cochran said emergency medical treatment was needed for some animals, while others were to be placed with volunteers temporarily.
The rest would be taken to land owned by the county where they would get food and additional medical care.
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