The NYPD is reviewing its $734,000 contract with a veterinarian overseeing the company’s mounted horse unit after his historical past of violating racehorse care guidelines surfaced, The Put up has realized.
Camilo Bravo Sierra, of Northport, New York, who has been a contract veterinarian with the Division of Well being in 2019, was fined a minimum of seven occasions and suspended twice whereas working as a horse racing veterinarian at Queens’ Aqueduct Race Observe, in keeping with state knowledge first reported by Gothamist.
“Whereas there have been no complaints or issues with the care that our horses have obtained, we take any allegations of abuse very critically, and we’re reviewing the contract,” an NYPD rep advised The Put up.
A rep for the DOH, which oversees town’s carriage horses and has a $3,000 horse veterinarian contract with Sierra till late 2026, declined to touch upon “personnel points.”
Sierra was awarded the large NYPD contract final October to deal with town’s fleet of roughly 50 horses for the subsequent 5 years after the company’s longtime vet died in 2023, a supply aware of the matter mentioned.
In an interview with The Put up final 12 months, Sierra referred to as his violations “minor” and contended that he was solely suspended from the racetrack grounds, and that his license itself was by no means suspended.
A rep from the state gaming fee didn’t return a request for touch upon the violations.
“If I had dedicated severe violations, my license would have been suspended, interval,” mentioned Sierra, who declined a telephone interview this month.
Based on ruling paperwork, Sierra “dedicated an improper, corrupt and fraud act” in 2017 at Aqueduct by submitting well being certificates for horses he didn’t consider, prescribing the now-banned drug Albuterol to a horse he hadn’t handled and utilizing a fictitious horse title on paperwork.
Sierra was fined $4,500 and suspended for 21 days.
Different violations issued to Sierra over time embody allegedly submitting well being certificates for horses he didn’t consider in 2016; breaking the gaming fee’s guidelines relating to steroid drug use in horses in 2013; and failing to “comply with correct licensing necessities” in 2006.
Individually, the New York State Board for Veterinary Drugs fined Sierra in 2020 for “skilled misconduct” for failing to signal a medical examination kind, record medicine he gave and supply info to help his therapy of a horse in Queens in 2016, information present.
His veterinary license was ordered suspended for 2 years, although he was placed on a probation as a substitute, Gothamist reported.
The physician, who has been licensed within the state since 1992, has a troubled previous except for the state-level volitions, animal activists say.
Sierra carried out the post-mortem for carriage horse Aysha who collapsed whereas working and was euthanized in February 2020 after affected by a treatable genetic illness.
Sierra’s post-mortem contended the horse was “in good situation” and confirmed “no accidents in step with abuse or mishandling,” regardless of on-line movies depicting carriage drivers pushing and dragging the mare instantly following its collapse.
Medical information present additionally Aysha was given a clear well being examination from one other vet in October 2019, however the mare would have had signs for some time that went ignored, in keeping with Edita Birnkrant, govt director of animal advocacy group NYCLASS.
“The rationale there was no animal cruelty investigation into Aysha’s dying, and the mishandling that led as much as her dying, was as a result of Camilo Sierra was the one vet to do the post-mortem and declare that there was completely no wrongdoing on anybody’s half,” Birnkrant advised The Put up.
Sierra has additionally handled sloths owned by Larry Wallach, paperwork present, whose Lengthy Island-based Sloth Encounters was shuttered final 12 months amid animal abuse allegations.
“If any person calls me to look after an animal I don’t ask in the event that they went to jail or if they’ve a felony file or dashing tickets,” Sierra mentioned. “That’s none of my enterprise.”
Sierra added he’s “not a felony.”
“I’ve saved numerous horses’ lives over time,” he mentioned.
“I’ve a wonderful fame as a big animal vet.”
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