'Most distressing thing I've seen': Pony dies after being stabbed 41 times

WARNING – DISTURBING CONTENT: Vets were horrified by the death of a pony brutally stabbed 41 times in New Zealand, after expecting him to pull through.

A 10-year-old miniature horse was attacked in his paddock in the small seaside town of Waitati, near Dunedin, on the South Island’s southeast coast.

Veterinarians worked for five hours on Sunday to try and save the animal and were initially optimistic about his chances of recovery.

However, one of the stab wounds punctured the horse’s bowel and Star died overnight, the horse’s distraught owner told Otago Daily Times on Monday.

“I’m so angry, I’m so disappointed, and the thing that was getting me through this was that the little guy was going to pull through,” the woman who wished to remain anonymous said.

“He’s tiny, he’s cute, he’s about the size of a calf, and some [person] just went to town stabbing him.

“A f***** lunatic with a knife is in our community and killed a little baby horse.”

Vets who operated on Star believed the wounds were too clean and deep to have been sustained during a dog attack, and appeared to have been created with a sharp knife.

Otago Equine Hospital vet Peter Gillespie described the impact of the attack as “gut wrenching”.

He believed more than one person may have been involved as the pony would not have stood still while being stabbed.

“I’ve been doing this for close on 40 years and this is just the worst, most distressing thing I’ve ever seen,” he told the news outlet.

Police in New Zealand have launched an investigation and are appealing for information on the midnight attack.

“Subsequent vet assessment has revealed the injuries to the horse appear to have been caused by a blade or similar,” police said in a statement.

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