Anti Federalist
04-20-2009, 07:50 PM
Polo horses may have been poisoned (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5189672/Polo-horses-may-have-been-poisoned.html)
Twenty-one ponies who mysteriously died as they were being prepared for a major match in Florida are likely to have been poisoned, vets believe.
By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 6:38PM BST 20 Apr 2009
A horrified crowd at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington watched in silence on Sunday as vets tried desperately to save the animals after they collapsed or became dizzy as they were led out of their trailers.
The horses, all from the same Venezuelan-owned team and each worth around $100,000 (£69,000), died one after the other shortly before an important match in the US Open Polo Championship.
The team is owned by Victor Vargas, a Venezuelan businessman, close confidant of Hugo Chavez and one of the richest men in South America.
Vets at the scene, who inserted intravenous tubes and tried to cool them down with fans and water, said the horses suffered pulmonary edema, an accumulation of fluid in their lungs, and heart failure.
They had high temperatures and were disoriented but felt no pain.
The as yet unidentified toxin could have been in tainted food, vitamins or dietary supplements, or some combination of all three that caused a toxic reaction, said Scott Swerdin, a vet who treated the horses.
James Belden, a local vet who worked for the team, Lechuza Caracas, said it was a clear case of "some sort of poison" and played down the possibity of steroid abuse.
"The sport's governing body bans doping but vitamins and IV fluids are permitted. Mr Swerdin said the idea the horses were killed intentionally was "very far fetched".
John Wash, president of club operations for the International Polo Club Palm Beach, said the polo teams were told by veterinary officials that whatever killed the horses wasn't airborne or contagious.
"It won't just be the polo scene in Wellington, I think it will affect the polo scene worldwide," Mr Wash said.
"In polo's history there's never been an incident like this that anybody can remember. This was a tragic issue on the magnitude of losing a basketball team in an aeroplane crash."
Twenty-one ponies who mysteriously died as they were being prepared for a major match in Florida are likely to have been poisoned, vets believe.
By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 6:38PM BST 20 Apr 2009
A horrified crowd at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington watched in silence on Sunday as vets tried desperately to save the animals after they collapsed or became dizzy as they were led out of their trailers.
The horses, all from the same Venezuelan-owned team and each worth around $100,000 (£69,000), died one after the other shortly before an important match in the US Open Polo Championship.
The team is owned by Victor Vargas, a Venezuelan businessman, close confidant of Hugo Chavez and one of the richest men in South America.
Vets at the scene, who inserted intravenous tubes and tried to cool them down with fans and water, said the horses suffered pulmonary edema, an accumulation of fluid in their lungs, and heart failure.
They had high temperatures and were disoriented but felt no pain.
The as yet unidentified toxin could have been in tainted food, vitamins or dietary supplements, or some combination of all three that caused a toxic reaction, said Scott Swerdin, a vet who treated the horses.
James Belden, a local vet who worked for the team, Lechuza Caracas, said it was a clear case of "some sort of poison" and played down the possibity of steroid abuse.
"The sport's governing body bans doping but vitamins and IV fluids are permitted. Mr Swerdin said the idea the horses were killed intentionally was "very far fetched".
John Wash, president of club operations for the International Polo Club Palm Beach, said the polo teams were told by veterinary officials that whatever killed the horses wasn't airborne or contagious.
"It won't just be the polo scene in Wellington, I think it will affect the polo scene worldwide," Mr Wash said.
"In polo's history there's never been an incident like this that anybody can remember. This was a tragic issue on the magnitude of losing a basketball team in an aeroplane crash."