Prince George, B.C.-   An investigation is underway into the tale of starving horses in the Canim Lake area.

BC SPCA Senior Investigator, Shawn Eccles, says the investigation will try to determine how many animals have in fact died of starvation and how many others are at risk.

Speaking on the Meisner program this morning on CFIS FM and Opinion250 through live streaming audio, Eccles says there are some challenges in tracking down all the animals. “The area is about 450 square miles, so there is a large area to cover, there are also conflicting reports on the number of horses dead or in poor condition.” Some reports peg the number of dead at 19, while another report says five. There are also conflicting reports on the number of animals left in the area, ranging from 12 to 30.

Eccles says there is also conflicting information on who owns the horses “Some of the horses are wild, or ferrel, however, they are not indigenous to this area, so someone brought them there and we are trying to confirm ownership. The problem is, rounding up the wild horses is proving to be difficult.”

The BC SPCA is working with the Canim Lake Reserve to get feed to the animals.