JOSHUA -- If you ever wanted to help rescue a little piece of Texana, now's your chance. About 50 longhorn cattle are available for adoption through the Humane Society of North Texas. All that's required: at least $300 per head, plus strong fences and a good home.

“I mean, truly, this is the heartbeat of Texas,” said Cassie Lackey, the society’s community relations manager. “Where else can you get a longhorn?”

1 / 2A longhorn named Spartacus shows off his namesake headgear at the Humane Society Ranch in Joshua. The longhorns were seized from a Hill County ranch in February by the Hill County Sheriff's Office.(Steve Hamm / Special Contributor) 2 / 2Ana Hardin, 8, attracts the attention of a couple of calves at the Humane Society of North Texas ranch in Joshua. Five calves were born after to heifers that were so malnourished they couldn't feed the calves properly, according to the Humane Society. (Steve Hamm/ Special Contributor)(Steve Hamm / Special Contributor)

The longhorns were seized from a Hill County ranch in February after multiple reports of animal abuse.

In December 2017, the landowner agreed to hire a cowboy to rehabilitate the longhorns on her ranch 65 miles southwest of Dallas, according to an arrest affidavit from the Hill County Sheriff’s Office.

A few weeks later, the cowboy said he stopped care because the landowner “had not complied with the terms of her contract with him,” the affidavit stated. The sheriff’s office later received photos from the cowboy showing dead, emaciated cows on the property. Sheriff’s officials then took custody of the herd.

Lisa Downs is a former veterinary technician who was called to the scene. “On a scale of one to 10, it was a negative 5,” she said. “I grew up around cattle. I had no idea someone could let cattle get into that state.”

About 340 longhorns were rescued, according to the Humane Society. The youngest are calves born during or just after the seizure. They’re all colors, from white with black spots to University of Texas burnt orange. Downs said the cattle were severely emaciated and looked malnourished.

In some parts of the 840-acre property, animal carcasses were piled up. About a dozen of the longhorns had to be euthanized or died shortly after they were taken into custody. Four calves had to be bottle-fed until their mothers were strong enough to feed them.

“Once we got on the property, we were able to see the whole story,” said Rick White, chief deputy with the Hill County Sheriff's Office. “It was survival of the fittest.”

About 50 of those longhorns are now being kept at the Humane Society’s ranch in Joshua, southwest of Fort Worth. Another 150 or so are at another Humane Society property.

White said there are several warrants out for the arrest of the property owner, Leletia O’Malley, on misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty. He said he suspects she left the country, but she could face additional charges for each abused animal. Contact information for O’Malley was not available.

O’Malley filed suit against several individuals and groups, including the Humane Society of North Texas, for damages related to the confiscation of the longhorn herd, according to court records. Lackey said she could not comment on the suit.

Steve Perry, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, said he disagrees with how the Humane Society and others have characterized O’Malley’s herd. Perry works with an organization called the U.S. Human Defense League, which claims to advocate for individuals whose animals have been seized by law enforcement. “The true torture began shortly after the Humane Society arrived on scene,” he said. “They could care less about those cows.”

Over several months, Humane Society staff and volunteers brought the cattle back to good health. That meant medicine, truckloads of hay and 24-hour care. “The majority have totally recovered,” Lackey said. “It’s a process. It took months to get here.”

1 / 2Tami Carlson, left, and Heather Hardin, both from Cleburne, ride on the back of a flatbed truck as they attract the attention of longhorns during feeding time. The cattle all are up for adoption from the Humane Society of North Texas ranch in Joshua.(Steve Hamm / Special Contributor) 2 / 2Spartacus twists his neck, showing off his namesake long horns. The longhorn cattle were photographed on July 31, 2018 at the Humane Society of North Texas ranch in Joshua. (Steve Hamm/ Special Contributor)(Steve Hamm / Special Contributor)

Since announcing the longhorns were available for adoption on Monday evening, Lackey said, they’ve received over 100 applications to adopt the 50 or so bovines.

The longhorns will be adopted -- at market price -- on a first-come, first-served basis to applicants who can attest they won't use the longhorns for slaughter or trophy, and who pass rigorous inspection of their fences, financials and references. For more information, visit hsnt.org/horses-and-livestock.

“The goal,” Lackey said, “is to make sure they live out their natural lives with their adopter."

Staff researcher Jen Graffunder contributed to this report.