_{Horse receiving treatment from BAHA}

A group of teenagers filmed themselves slashing a horse with a machete and leaving it near death.

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Apr. 10, 2025

A group of young men who filmed themselves slashing an innocent horse with a machete and uploading the video on social media may be looking at a measly fine.

_{Teenagers in police custody}

Belizeans were in an uproar on Thursday morning, April 10, when they saw a trio of teenagers, ages 19, 17, and 16, on social media repeatedly slashing a horse named “Wannie” on its back, and to the face near the Fabers Road extension of Belize City.

“We are looking at the possibility of charges of cruelty to animal, and we will seek further advice from the DPP [Director of Public Prosecution] to see if there are any additional charges that we can profer against those individuals,” said Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams.

He continued, “We need to send a strong signal! We’re seeing these types of offenses are becoming more prevalent, where animals are being treated inhumanely and cruelly. If these young men could do this to a horse, I [can] imagine what they [would] do to a human being.”

“Wannie” belongs to 16-year-old Devonte Broaster, who reportedly purchased the horse from the same group of teens, who then stole it from him and were mistreating it. He explained that sometime last week, his horse was missing, and he was not aware of its location until Tuesday of this week when he was sent the viral video by one of the accused, who tried to extort Broaster of several items for the return of his horse.

He reported the incident to authorities, who detained the boys, pending charges as the investigation continues. Broaster believes that the same day that his horse went missing, the boys began to harm it, resulting in its injuries becoming infected and filled with worms and maggots that were slowly eating it alive.

“It was a horrific scene the moment I arrived,” said Dr. Salustino Pech, Deputy Technical Director of Animal Health at Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA). “BAHA looks after animal welfare, so this is a case where it involves us, and I believe that there are not strong laws against animal cruelty in Belize. I have not seen wounds like this before, and it requires a lot of care,” he said.

As Dr. Pech mentioned, the animal cruelty laws in Belize aren’t strong enough, as its maximum charge is a measly $100 fine. ComPol Williams says it’s a misdemeanor, and he is in support of the law being changed.

“The laws that we have in place for these kinds of acts are antiquated, have been in place pre-independence, and times have changed, and we need to take a look at those laws to see if we can strengthen it, so it can serve as a deterrent for those who may wish to continue to carry on these types of activities,” he said.

Broaster noted that his horse will be heading to rural Belize, where it will hopefully recover.