This case of animal cruelty is devastating, but the good news is, there is a delighted ending. In Romania, untamed horses are Shackled by their front or hind limbs to keep them from running away. At the same time, the animals suffer unpleasant cuts and injuries. When a vet with the company 4 Paws International stepped in to rescue the animals, he got an unexpected thank you gesture.

A video showing the emotional minute when Ovidiu Rosu was able to approach the horse and construct trust, before releasing him from his chains, went viral … but it was the horse’s reaction that was so moving.

The horse was initially worried, obviously, but Rosu took his time and the effort was not lost on the grateful animal. Offered their mistrust of human beings and bad condition, horses attempted to run away, once complimentary, Rosu was approached by one of the horses, who seemed to thank him for being so kind. The horse is seen touching his nose to Rosu’s nose to show his appreciation and the moment is beautiful.

Luckily, Four Paws International have been doing this animal rescue work for years. The video notes, unfortunately, that this is “a typical practice in parts of Romania … to join the front or hind legs of horses with chains.”

The site Animal Channel even more describes the story behind these animals, keeping in mind: “These horses were first brought to Romania around 300 to 400 years ago by the Tatars. The Tatars left numerous horses behind, and they started to wander easily through the area. Many horses were likewise released in 1989, after the agricultural cooperatives in the location disintegrated. This caused a huge population boom– by 2010, there were as lots of as 1,500 horses living in the Danube Delta.”

The website more explained how the horses came to the Letea Forest searching for food, including bark and plants and “Ecologists and authorities in the location needed to control the horse population, so they decided to kill the horses.”

4 Paws International had actually helped before the authorities took these drastic measures, seeking to rather find other methods to control birth rates with contraceptives and keep the population manageable. Their efforts achieved success, as a 2017 aerial census found there were less than 500 horses in the Letea Forest.

The organization likewise vaccinates the horses and provides alternative food products of alfalfa in the winter.

Amongst those who shared talk about the video on social media was one person who noted: “Regretfully, this nation treats their animals terribly. The shelters eliminate them in terrible, vicious methods. The number of animals, specifically packs of pet, that are homeless on the streets and rail thin is impressive. They were passing a decision when I was checking out to kill all the ferrel pets … 1000’s of them. All countries including our own are guilty of doing dreadful things to gorgeous creatures, however Romania wins here for barbaric, terrible practices.”

Another commenter concurred, sharing: “Sadly, in our nation, the penalties are not hard sufficient for the ones who abuse animals. Thank you for helping the animals that can’t protect themselves versus terrible people.”