Philadelphia Mounted Police Unit Holds Large Animal Response Training

NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Rescuing a horse from a trailer accident.

This is just one of the scenarios that officers from the Philadelphia Police Mounted Unit and other police departments in the area will work through during their training on Friday.

“Do everything slowly on site and think everything through,” said the instructor.

The Pennsylvania Animal Response Team staged a simulated horse rescue from a ravine. It’s hands-on training for large animal crises. The dummy horse, Lucky, weighs 700 pounds.

“It’s so great because you see their confidence grow. That means when there’s a scene where there’s a really big animal thrashing around, they stay calm and composed and can respond immediately,” says Sarah Gabel, executive director of the PA Animal Response Team.

If you think that large-scale animal rescue cannot take place in a big city, you are wrong.

In February, officials had to capture a horse after it escaped from a stable in Strawberry Mansion and galloped down I-95 North.

Officers from Newark, New Jersey were also on hand to capture a bull that had escaped from a slaughterhouse and was seen wandering around the NJ Transit tracks at Newark Penn Station.

“We assume it can happen at any time,” says Captain Anthony LaSalle of the Philadelphia Police Special Operations Unit.

“Police horses are our first responders’ colleagues. If you look at it this way, if a first responder is out there and their partner gets injured, you have to know how to administer first aid,” said State Rep. Joe Hohenstein.

This special, hands-on training with the Pennsylvania Animal Response Team instills in people the idea that these officers’ job is to protect and serve every living being.