Law enforcement authorities in St. Martin's Parish, La., are seeking those responsible for the shooting death of a horse earlier this year.

Sgt. Terrell Bergeron, animal control coordinator for the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Department, said that on Aug. 8 the horse's owner contacted the Sheriff's Department after finding the Appaloosa mare and pregnant cow both wounded in their pasture. Both animals had sustained handgun shots to the abdomen.

"The horse died before the veterinarian's arrival," Bergeron said.

The cow lost its calf, but survived the incident, he said