A foal less than a week old was dumped and left to die alone in a tourist spot.
The days-old skewbald, abandoned in Thetford Forest, Norfolk, at the weekend, has been taken in by World Horse Welfare which is appealing for information.
“The colt was incredibly weak and struggling to survive alone with no signs of his mother or an owner when he was spotted by a local farmer,” said a spokesman for the charity, who added that the foal is receiving round-the-clock care.
World Horse Welfare field officer Jacko Jackson, who co-ordinated his rescue, said: “This is a sad case of a very young foal, less than a week old, being dumped and left to fend for himself at the time of his life when he is at his weakest and needs to be receiving vital care and feed from his mother.
“When a foal is born, it is vital that he or she receives colostrum from the mother during the first 24 hours as it contains antibodies that help protect the newborn from illness and disease as well as having a high nutrition value to give them the best start to their young life.
“We have no idea if this foal has received any colostrum so at the moment his prognosis is quite guarded but he is bottle-feeding well and we will just have to see how he progresses over the next few days.
“I would urge anyone with information about this young foal or who might have seen anything suspicious over the weekend in the Thetford Forest area to get in touch and try to help us locate the person who has left him in this terrible situation.”
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Anyone with any information or who may have seen anything suspicious in the area where the foal was dumped should call World Horse Welfare on 08000 480 180 or the RSPCA’s cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.
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