A new arrival at an equine sanctuary has engendered mixed emotions at a centre struggling to cope with an increase in the number of their charges.
Apache appeared at the Mountains Animal Sanctuary near Forfar at the end of last week and he has captured the hearts of staff at the centre, home to more than 180 horses, ponies and donkeys.
The foal is the first born there and while staff are delighted with his safe arrival, Apache is another addition to what has been a record-breaking start to the year, for all the wrong reasons.
Mountains has taken in more animals since the turn of the year than it would in an average 12 months, and it has broken the 500-case barrier since the sanctuary was established in Kent over 25 years ago.
Centre owner Alan Fraser said, “Apache’s mother Alana was a mare, which we took in earlier this year and we knew she was in foal but that is very rare for us.
“We have another mare which is due at any time and I am sure that people will be delighted to see these young foals when they come to visit us, but it is just another illustration of the problems we are facing.
“Every week we are getting calls from all over the country to take cases because people cannot afford to look after their animals. Thankfully, the public are very supportive and we are very grateful for that.”