UNION, Mo (KMOX) - There's a beautiful new chapter of a tragic story that began with a highway tractor-trailer crash that caused the death of 19 horses in the St. Louis area.
The Humane Society of Missouri’s Longmeadow Rescue Ranch announced on Monday that one of the surviving horses – who was pregnant at the time of the crash – has given birth to a health colt. Journey's baby was born Monday morning and there's a live cam of the happy mother and child on the ranch's website.
The crash happened on Oct. 18 of last year on I-44 in Franklin County, Missouri. A tractor-trailer involved in the crash was transporting a total of 29 horses and all but 10 of them either perished in the crash or were euthanized shortly after due to the severity of their injuries and neglect prior to the wreck.
It was discovered that the horses were being transported to be slaughtered, which is illegal to do knowingly for pregnant horses.
Journey walked away with minor injuries to her front foot, which made trotting painful, but the ranch took her in and that's when they discovered she was pregnant.
“Journey has really been given a second chance at a happier life here at Longmeadow and I think this new baby really symbolizes that,” said Amanda Mullen, director of Longmeadow Rescue Ranch. “It’s wonderful to know that something good could come from that tragedy.”
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The colt hasn't been named yet – there will be a social media poll to determine that later. But once he's of age he will be available for adoption through Longmeadow.
This is the second baby from a tractor-trailer accident to be born at Longmeadow Rescue Ranch, the first was Longmeadow’s famous painting horse, whose mother was also involved in a Franklin County crash in 2006.
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