2 Horses Left to Die Survived by Eating Wood, Manure

Miami-area police got a call this weekend about some skinny-looking horses; what they found were two horses that were 200 pounds underweight and stuck in an 8-by-10-foot pen at an area ranch. The stall was boarded up, apparently to avoid notice. "It was almost like they were being nailed into a coffin to die," says the local SPCA president Jeanette Jordan. "This is as bad as it gets for us."

The horses had had no food or water for months—even though a lake was apparently visible to them from their stall. "They could see the water, but they couldn’t get it," Jordan says. They kept themselves alive by eating wood and their own manure, Jordan tells the Miami Herald. Now they're staying at a nearby rescue ranch. Their recovery could take months, and they may not survive at all, the Herald notes. Those responsible could face animal cruelty charges following a police investigation. (More horse stories.)