Humane Society Takes Hay to Santa Ysabel Longhorn Herd

The San Diego Humane Society on Wednesday rushed an emergency load of 46 bales of hay to 200 cattle near the North County community of Santa Ysabel, saying that while the herd appeared reasonably well-fed, there was concern the animals might go hungry.

That was news to the herd’s owner, John Monk of Austin, Tex., who said: “I don’t have a clue” why the Humane Society had interest in his herd of Texas longhorn.

“The cattle are well-fed and watered,” he said in a telephone interview. “I don’t know what they’re talking about.”

And Carol Jessen, who lives in nearby Ramona and cares for the herd, said she, too, was mystified by the Humane Society’s action.

“You can plainly see they’re not hungry,” she said. “I love those cows like crazy, and I’ve done everything in my power to make sure they’ve got enough feed and water.”

Appear Healthy

John Mallon, who lives on property immediately next to the herd, quipped: “I’ve never seen fatter longhorn.”

But Larry Boersma, spokesman for the San Diego Humane Society, said his agency was acting on word that the herd only had a partial day’s supply of feed on Wednesday.

“Do you want breakfast and not dinner?” Boersma asked. “These animals deserve to be cared for.”

He said the Humane Society had information that there were only 21 bales of hay made available to the herd on Wednesday, about half the daily consumption of the herd.

When the hay was delivered Wednesday afternoon, Humane Society Officer Diane Tally noted that there was hay on the ground available for the cattle to eat. She and other officers put several bales of hay out for the cattle, and left most of the 46 bales outside the gate in case they are needed today.

Said another Humane Society agent, Paul Gulver: “We had word that the cattle and horses were out of food--that they had only two bales of hay--but there’s a lot of hay on the ground, and fresh water available. They appear to be in good shape. But we’ll drop off this hay anyway.”

Complaints Received

Gulver said the Humane Society had received complaints from area residents over the past two years about stray Texas longhorn cattle roaming outside their range, and that some of the cattle have been the target of gunfire. The cattle, he said, “were breaking down fences and getting out, and people were shooting at them.”

Boersma, who was not at the scene Wednesday, described the cattle as “somewhat underweight but not in dire circumstances.”

“Happily we don’t have to save lives of animals that are nearly dead,” he said. “But these are animals without sufficient food, which is unacceptable to us.”

He said the Humane Society will monitor the herd daily to make sure the animals have adequate food, and “worry later about who might be responsible” if the herd is improperly fed.

Both he and Jessen said they had information that Monk has or is experiencing financial difficulties and might no longer be able to afford to keep his herd in feed. Jessen said that at times when Monk has been late in paying for feed, she has bought hay herself for the herd, and Boersma said his investigators had uncovered information that Monk has or is filing for bankruptcy, leaving the care of the cattle in question.

Monk declined comment on his ability to continue to feed the herd.