Justin DeLoach seems to have had some serious issues with some cows that repeatedly broke into his property and devoured his horse's feed, but the way that police say he dealt with the conflict is highly questionable. His actions are offensive to any individual, meat eater or not.
Authorities in Flagler County, Fla., attests DeLoach, 23, shot six cows in the face, rump, ribs and shoulders, causing them to bleed profusely, according to WESH-TV.
UPI.com has reported that he initially fired into the air in order to scare them.
Now two cows are enduring severe injuries to their faces, and the other four suffered injuries to their ribs, shoulders and rumps, Klare Ly, public information officer for the 7th Circuit State Attorney's Office, informed the New York Daily News.
“The owner heard gunfire near his house,” Ly told the Daily News. “So he went outside to investigate and noticed that a few of his cows were missing from his property. He went around the yard and noticed the gate was open. That’s when he found some of his cows bleeding.”
The suspect did not reply to any initiatives of communications which the owner of the cows tried to make.
The next day, DeLoach gave a written statement to the Flagler County Sheriff's Dept. saying the cows "busted" past his fence onto his land and ate all of his horses' feed, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported. DeLoach also said he tried to chase the cows off, but when that didn't work, grabbed a shotgun and fired birdshot into the air to frighten the cows.
"Justin stated that he has been dealing with the cows coming onto his property for years," according to the paper.
DeLoach has been charged with the second-degree felony of killing or aggravated abuse of horses or cattle.
Whether one agrees with rights for animals or not, it can be seen that his actions are grotesque and uncalled for particularly under these circumstances. It resurfaces pertinent issues of animal standing in trials and the rights and dignity of animals not to be infringed upon by human beings. Moreover, it begs the question of just how relative animal rights and dignity are reliant on human rights of animal ownership. Many lessons are to be had in the way the judgement came about and how it was dealt with.
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