Updated 4.30pm, August 17
A Mount Isa man has been granted bail after being charged over a horse shooting incident near Longreach.
Christopher John Anderson, a 49-year-old mine worker, was charged with one count of injuring animals after 41 horses, which included pregnant mares and foals, were found shot dead on a property north of Longreach in early August.
After appearing briefly on Friday to have the case adjourned over the weekend, the 49-year-old mine worker appeared in Mount Isa Magistrates Court on Monday and was granted bail on the grounds that he had no criminal history and was not deemed a flight risk.
According to his bail conditions, Mr Anderson must live at an address nominated by police, surrender his weapons licence and must not control any weapon, and must report to police each Monday.
The matter has been adjourned until September 16.
Earlier:
Longreach police were notified of the deaths of a number of horses on Yanburra Station, about 60km north of the town, by a passer-by at around 4pm on Thursday, August 5, giving them an hour-and-a-half of daylight in which to investigate.
Initial investigations in the daylight hours left found 36 horses - geldings, colts, pregnant mares and mares with foals at foot - shot inhumanely, some of them multiple times.
Upon returning on Friday another five fatally wounded horses were located in the 2025ha paddock, from a mob of 300 running on the property.
MOCS Longreach OIC Detective Sergeant Allan Cook described the scene in the paddock abutting the Cramsie-Muttaburra Road as a 'turkey shoot' and said it was one of the worst things he'd seen in 30 years of policing.
"These weren't brumbies; they were breeding stock, and were all owned by the property's owner," DS Cook said. "They had been reared through years of drought."
Initial investigations show the horses were killed sometime between Tuesday, August 3 and Wednesday, August 4.
The property owner was not at home at the time of the incident.
MOCS Rural Longreach detectives have been leading the investigation with the assistance of local police and partner agencies, and spent last weekend combing through forensic evidence and Crimestoppers leads in an effort to track down the perpetrator/s of the callous shooting spree.
DS Cook said incidents of this nature could have a devastating impact on rural communities, which is why police had been working extremely closely with partner agencies to identify the person or people responsible.
Investigations remain ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact police, at the Policelink website, by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24 hours a day or by calling 131 444.
Crimes can also be reported anonymously online via Crime Stoppers or by ringing 1800 333 000.
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