An man has been charged with animal cruelty under the Ontario SPCA Act following an incident in which a horse fell out of a moving livestock trailer on Highway 401.

The trailer was being towed on the highway just east of Prescott, Ont., on July 14 when the horse fell out through an open door. The mare was injured, but survived, and the OSPCA has reported that the mare is responding well to treatment. Ontario Provincial Police had said after the incident that a 61-year-old man from Alfred, Ont., had been charged under the Highway Traffic Act with having an insecure load.

The animal welfare agency OSPCA has said that the man has been charged with causing distress to an animal and failing to transport the horse in a manner that ensures its physical safety and general welfare. He is due to appear in a provincial court in Brockville on Sept. 13.

Investigations on after headless animals found in Pickering

Durham Regional Police are investigating after a number of decapitated animals were found by the lake shore in Pickering. The dead animals were discovered by passersby near the shores of Lake Ontario on Monday at in an isolated spot close to a busy public trail.   Officers responded to the area near Beachpoint Promenade and West Shore Boulevard and contacted animal services after they saw the dead livestock – a goat and several chickens. The Police maintains that the animals were likely left in the area overnight or sometime early Monday, as the scene would not have gone unnoticed by passersby.

Durham police have not seen anything like this recently and the Police called the finding “bizarre.”