Police seize 62 horses imported from Nicaragua likely for human consumption

Police over the weekend confiscated 62 horses and four mules illegally transported form Nicaragua by a Costa Rican, during patrols 15 kilometers from the Nicaraguan border in Pocosol de San Carlos.

Costa Rican cops seized all 66 animals due to their poor health. Some of the horses had open wounds, bruises and fleas, while others had intestinal worms. Each of the animals appeared as though it had not been properly fed. Police turned the animals over to the National Animal Health Service.

Authorities arrested a Costa Rican man with the last name Artavia and transferred him to a court in San Carlos. The police report states that the horses likely were destined for human consumption.

Human consumption of horse meat is legal in Costa Rica, but regulated.