A Minnesota man is facing more than 20 animal cruelty charges for allegedly maltreating more than 50 horses and donkeys on his Fillmore County property.

In November, animal welfare and law enforcement authorities removed 55 allegedly maltreated animals from a property in LeRoy, Fillmore County Sheriff’s Department Capt. John DeGeorge said in a written statement issued at the time of the seizure.

A dozen of the removed animals were transported to the University of Minnesota (UM) Large Animal Hospital for treatment, said Jeff Moravec, director of communications for the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., metro area-based Animal Humane Society. Of those, five were euthanized due to their condition and one died despite intensive management, said Christie Ward, DVM, MVSc, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, of the UM College of Veterinary Medicine, who supervised the horses’ care. The six surviving animals are in the care of the Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation and various foster farms, Ward said.

On Dec. 18, Wilbur Schmoll was charged with 24 counts of animal cruelty, according to a criminal complaint filed in Fillmore County District Court