Slideshow: Rescued Longhorns

Warning: Images and details in this story could be considered graphic

The Hill County Sheriff's Office said the longhorns they have seized from Aquilla are now under the ownership of the Humane Society of North Texas. 

The sheriff's office said that some of the cattle have been brought to a location in West, while some had to be put down at the location because they were incredibly malnourished. The sheriff's office added that only 5 percent of the herd is healthy. There are more than 300 cattle, mostly Longhorns, in the herd. 

While they were trying to herd the cattle onto the trailers, some were falling over because they are so weak. At least 15 Longhorns were found dead.

In December, authorities met with the owner and told her she had to hire someone to watch the herd because over 50 percent of the cattle showed signs of hunger. The owner, Leletia O'Malley signed an agreement allowing monitoring of the physical condition of the animals during this time.

On Feb. 16, O'Malley's attorneys, the Hill County Sheriff's Office, the county attorney and the Humane Society of North Texas met and reached an agreement that the cattle would remain at the Humane Society. 

In the meeting, it was determined that some cattle would be sold off to help with the continuing cost of maintaining the herd. 

The sheriff's office said there were some ownership claims that came up that they were not aware of. 

The search warrant said after observation, it was reported that the herd had a body condition score ranging from very thin, to borderline. 

On Feb. 7, photographs showed multiple dead longhorns that had been placed in a secluded area. They were in an area where the water drains across the carcasses into the surface water of Patton Lake.

The search warrant also said that no hay or tubs of protein were provided for the cattle in sub-freezing temperatures. The search warrant also said that the animals were not fed properly and some were deceased and piled up. 

The owner is cooperating with the operation.

The Humane Society of North Texas assisted the sheriff's office. They said veterinarians normally rate the longhorn's health form a scale of 1 to 5, but they have several longhorns that have been rated at 0. 

Another hearing is scheduled for March 2. For those wanting to donate, you can donate here. 

Moon Cattle, a cattle herd management company, filed a petition against O'Malley saying that they had entered a contract with her to get the cattle back to health but claims she didn't let them. They are asking for $6,345.34 in damages. 

The sheriff's office said March 27 that the remaining cattle will be under the ownership of the Humane Society of North Texas. The court also said that O'Malley was ordered to pay the balance of the court costs incurred by the Humane Society of North Texas, $62,266.97. 

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