Abuse charged, animals removed

Animal welfare officers removed 30 horses and three dozen sheep from a Plympton farm Wednesday, saying they were suffering from abuse and malnutrition. The animals were taken to the Brockton Fairgrounds where they remain under observation by state veterinarians.

Officials said five horses have died at Aces Wild Farm on Parsonage Road in the last month, including three that were euthanized due to their poor health. The cause of their illnesses is unknown, according to Glenn Harris, a state Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Health inspector. He had placed them under quarantine on Oct. 13.

Dr. Fredric Cantor, state public health veterinarian, said Thursday that seven of the horses have been tested for Eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus, but no evidence of recent infection was found.

The farm and the animals are owned by Patricia Renee Pina, who has been involved in a longstanding dispute with Plympton officials over her farm operation.

Speaking while the animals were being removed Wednesday afternoon, Pina defended her treatment of them, saying that she had alerted authorities to the horses' problems a month ago, and that both town and animal health officials were making it more difficult for her to improve the conditions at Aces Wild.

Several horses looked emaciated Wednesday as they were led from the barn and put into trailers by officers from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Rescue League of Boston and the state Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Health. Neighbors stood in the road watching the process, which took about six hours to complete.

Pina said her horses have been eating regularly but losing weight. She said their symptoms point to a neurological disorder.

Jennifer Flagg, spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture, said veterinarians who have examined Pina's horses attribute their condition to negligence.