Slashed foal 'lucky to be alive'

Lily is said to be recovering well after her ordeal

A foal named Lily is lucky to be alive after being slashed across the neck just four days after being born at a farm in Fife, the Scottish SPCA said.

Lily was attacked in a field near Cupar. She suffered an eight-inch diagonal wound across her neck that narrowly missed her jugular vein.

The attack on the black and white mare happened on the evening of 25 May.

The Scottish SPCA said the foal had made a "remarkable" recovery from what appeared to be a deliberate slashing.

The charity said there did not appear to be any signs of the incident being linked to occult rituals, which have been blamed for a spate of horse mutilations across the UK in recent years.

Appealing for information, Scottish SPCA inspector John Chisholm said: "The field, which holds around 18 horses and ponies, is not on a roadside or even visible from the road, so it is unlikely that this was a chance attack.

"Whoever did this was determined in their action as they would have had to approach a steading adjacent to the field, including a farm house. There are also two cottages on the other side of the field.

"The foal was very inquisitive and trusting of human contact, making her vulnerable to the perpetrators. Incredibly, she is still high spirited and just as curious, which is quite remarkable given the ordeal she has been through."