"How Loud Do We Have to Scream?"  

Dinty Steains, Head of Welfare

We are walking away yet again from another case of endless suffering; "How loud do we have to scream?" asks our Field Officer, Jane.  We do not look back; it hurts too much to see his pleading eyes following us to the vehicle.  We call back that we will come back and try again.

This is just one case of so many that we currently have on our books.  In a way this one brave, beautiful stallion is not different to any other case involving the dedication and courage of our Field Officers.  His story began in January this year when we were alerted to his situation that is not uncommon.  He was imprisoned in solitary confinement in darkness as, not only was a grill attached to the top door, but the door was also kept shut 24/7.  Peeping in we found that he was standing in deep muck with little hay or water waiting, waiting, always waiting for his owner to come.  With the noise of every passing vehicle he would hope that someone would come to release him from his tortuous hell existence.

Beneath his very heavy feathers his legs were literally rotting away producing an intolerable smell and obviously giving excruciating pain.  Just outside was grass that he was unable to see and certainly not be able to smell due to the stench of rotting flesh combined with dung.

Initially calls for help achieved nothing until later, more frantic calls lead to a rapid response from an efficient RSPCA officer.  The animal's living conditions were greatly improved although he still stood in darkness. However, due to Jane's persistence he can now see out but is not allowed out due entirely to the owner's laziness; all he would have to do is erect a short length of fencing to make a safe area.

We do not know when or if he will ever be released from the prison.  We will be thinking of him constantly and lie awake at night worrying about him and all those other "Prisoners of Gender" that suffer this psychological torture in silence awaiting rescue.