Nov. 8: Reward offered in mutilation of girl's pony

The Humane Society of the United States today put up a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the recent mutilation of an 11-year-old girl's pony in Long Prairie, Minn.

By Paul Walsh, Star Tribune

Last update: November 9, 2007 - 6:31 AM

On Wednesday, the animal was exhumed for a veterinarian's examination, which found that the palomino wasn't killed in a hunting accident, as authorities first suspected.

Katie Symalla, 11, found her animal, Savannah, dead on the family's Long Prairie property Saturday.

It appears someone used a sharp instrument to remove all the soft tissue on the left side of the head, including the lip, nostril and ear flap, said veterinarian Dr. Charles Moberg.

Katie's mother, Veronica Monti, described Savannah as a pet to the family, which owns five other horses: "She was just like having a dog . . . would follow you around, the most gentle thing."

Investigators said they are looking for a small white pickup that was seen in the area Saturday morning.

Anyone with information about the crime should call Todd County Chief Deputy Bryan Tebben at 1-320-732-2157 or 1-800-794-5733.

Savannah's killing follows a string of such instances in the Twin Cities area stretching back to summer of 2006. Those cases include a duck stalked and killed in a St. Paul hotel, kittens shot to death, puppies with their necks snapped, and the beheadings of a bird, cat and dog.

In Inver Grove Heights in July, a 15-year-old quarter horse that had worked for a decade in the Minnesota State Fair mounted patrol bled to death after his neck was slashed while he was in a pasture near the home of his owners, Patty and Rich Stadt. The case remains unsolved, and a reward of $17,000 is being offered, Patty Stadt said.

Last year in southern Minnesota, a miniature horse was killed and dismembered at a farm in Waseca County. Fourteen years ago, a palomino colt was mutilated and dismembered on an Independence farm.

Cruelty to a horse occurs on average perhaps once or twice a year across the country, said national expert Randall Lockwood.

Paul Walsh 612-673-4482

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