Man charged with animal cruelty after starving horse to death, Brevard cops say

Man arrested in death of horse, Sammy

MELBOURNE, Fla. – A Brevard County man was arrested on animal cruelty charges after deputies say he starved one of his horses to death.

Zaid Ali, 35, was arrested on Monday on charges of aggravated animal cruelty and animal cruelty in the February death of his horse, Sammy, after several months of not feeding the horse properly, according to the report.

Deputies said the veterinarian reported Sammy suffered a cruel death and repeated unnecessary pain and suffering.

"I would pass these horses daily and you could see their rib cages. They were very mangy and very skinny," said Mike Conneen, who works near the property on Dairy Road in Melbourne.  

According to the report, Ali "deprived three other horses, Sultan, Sassy and Cassey of necessary sustenance and medical treatment to the point that their health severely declined and were seized for their own safety."

"When we got the information our animal enforcement team went out and actually looked at the horses," said Sheriff Wayne Ivey. "The horses, in my own personal words, were in very pitiful shape."

The three other horses on the property were seized and have been rehabilitating with the Sheriff's Office Mounted Posse Unit since last month.

Deputies said Ali has been showing very little remorse about the conditions of the horses. He was booked into Brevard County Jail and has since bonded out.

The horses are now up for adoption through the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. 


About the Author:

Justin Warmoth joined News 6 in 2013 and is now a morning news anchor.

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