More than 100 allegedly maltreated horses are under rehabilitative care after being rescued by the Morton County, N.D., Sheriff’s Department earlier this month.

Morton County Sheriff Dave Shipman said Sheriff’s Department personnel had been checking on the horses since early December, when callers tipped law enforcement authorities about the animals’ circumstances. A preliminary investigation revealed that approximately 120 horses were residing on the property without access to food, he said. The carcasses of 96 dead horses were also found on the property, Shipman said. All the living horses are allegedly malnourished, he said.

"There was hay on the property, but the horses couldn’t get to it," Shipman said.

On Jan. 24, the Sheriff’s Department rescued the animals, Shipman said. The horses remain on their owners’ property under care supervised by the Sheriff’s Department personnel, he said