Tell HSUS Wayne Pacelle that Horse Slaughter is a priority to you!

(Just click on the link.)

LIVE FEED ON SATURDAY FEB. 7TH 3PM With John Holland (Senior Analyst for AAHS) and Paula Bacon and Laura Allen!

Saving America's Horses on WFL Endangered Stream Live, Talk Radio for the Protection of Animals

The Hidden Cruelty of Horse Slaughter and the Fight for Federal Support to Make it Stop.

Host Katia Louise interviews an expert panel of guests on the continuing sordid practice of horse slaughter as currently sustained by the United States. Horses suffer unimaginable cruel treatment in the process of their transport out of the US to Mexico and Canada where they experience barbaric slaughter. Listeners will learn the truth about one of America's darkest secrets and how to take action to stop this cruel and rapidly growing business of exports through the support of current, yet disregarded bills lingering in Congress for the past 8 years.

Guests include Paula Bacon representing Americans Against Horse Slaughter and as former mayor of Kaufman TX, she helped to shut down the Dallas Crown, a US horse slaughter plant now operating in Mexico, among the worst malign abusers of cruelty in this brutal practice. Also joining us is the renown author on the issue of horse slaughter, John Holland; senior analyst for Americans Against Horse Slaughter. Holland has authored and coauthored studies on the relationship of horse slaughter to the rate of abuse and neglect in horses and has written dozens of articles on the subject of horse slaughter and its politics. Plus we have Animal Law Attorney, Laura Allen of the Animal Law Coalition who's been fiercely active in the support of getting legislature passed for the Prevention of the Equine Cruelty. These panelists are fighting to abolish horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter with support more stringent enforcement of laws to prevent abuse and neglect.

Call-in number: (646) 727- 2170. Calls will be accepted live during the show. The chat room at the show's WFL Endangered Stream Live Blog Talk Radio page will be open throughout the broadcast for simultaneous discussion and to help answer questions. Registered listeners may connect and talk straight from their computer from anywhere in the world. (learn more)

Listen live on Saturday, Feb 7th at 3pm (PST) at WFL Endangered Stream Live Blog Talk Radio.
Listen anytime on demand.


Links:
http://wflendangeredstreamlive.org/showlineup.html

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wflendangeredstreamlive/2009/02/07/Saving-Americas-Horses

Please VOTE to make the HORSE our NATIONAL ANIMAL!

Bill to End Horse Slaughter Reintroduced in 111th Congress

Bill to End Horse Slaughter Reintroduced in 111th Congress

Text

Washington, DC (January 15, 2009) – The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503), was reintroduced yesterday by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN). They first introduced the bill, which will ban horse slaughter, in the summer of 2008. It gained quick bipartisan support and passed out of the Judiciary Committee but did not move further as the legislative clock wound down. Committed to seeing the measure passed into law, Chairman Conyers has given the bill priority in his committee, as signaled by its reintroduction so early on the legislative calendar. With sixty-one original cosponsors, the bill already enjoys strong bipartisan support.

Although the few remaining horse slaughter plants operating in the US were shut down in 2007 under state law, the absence of a federal law banning the practice means that American horses are still at risk of being slaughtered for human consumption. In fact, more than 100,000 horses were exported to Mexico and Canada in 2008 for slaughter; In Canada horses are often shot to death while in Mexico some plants still use the “puntilla” knife to stab the horse into a state of paralysis prior to being slaughtered while still fully conscious. The meat is then sold to high-end consumers in Europe and Asia.

“There are naysayers who claim we should reopen the US plants rather than seek to ban all horse slaughter. Clearly, they’ve already forgotten how awful the plants here were,” said Chris Heyde, deputy director of Government and Legal Affairs for the Animal Welfare Institute.

Documents recently released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal just how brutal conditions were at the US plants before they were shut down. Hundreds of graphic photographs taken by U.S. Department of Agriculture employees at one plant show live horses with missing legs, with eyeballs hanging out, with skin ripped from the body and the birth of foals at the plant. Other photos show horses dead on arrival, having succumbed to the miseries of transport.

“The suffering of hundreds of thousands of our horses rests solely on the shoulders of those blocking this bill. Were it not for their stalling tactics horse slaughter would have ceased years ago. Meanwhile an American horse is slaughtered every five minutes. We commend Chairman Conyers and Representative Burton for taking the lead once again to end this cruel practice through introduction of H.R. 503, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act,” said Heyde.

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For further information contact:
Chris Heyde, 202-446-2142
Liz Ross, 202-497-6780

For over 58 years, AWI has been the leading voice for animals across the country and on Capitol Hill. Please join us in our ongoing campaigns to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. Sign up for AWI eAlerts to receive the latest news on what you can do to help us protect all animals: http://www.awionline.org/joinus.

60 COSPONSORS! Including:

Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 1/14/2009

Rep Mitchell, Harry E. [AZ-5] - 1/14/2009

TAKE ACTION through the HSUS

New Legislation Introduced to End Inhumane Transport of Horses!

HR 305

Stop Inhumane Horse Transport
Doubler decker trailers are designed for short-necked species, such as cattle and hogs, not horses. However, current federal law allows horses to be transported in these trailers to any destination other than slaughter plants.

Since these trailers are not meant to carry horses, frequently the top deck of the trailer will collapse, resulting in horrific injuries and even death. Just last year, a double decker trailer carrying 59 young Belgian horses overturned on an Illinois highway, killing 17 horses and injuring dozens of others.

Fortunately, Representatives Kirk (R-IL) and Cohen (D-TN) introduced, H.R. 305, the Horse Transportation Safety Act, to ban the use of double decker trailers for all horse transport.

TAKE ACTION
Please make a brief, polite phone call to your U.S. Representative to urge support for H.R. 305 to prohibit double decker trailers for horse transport. You can reach your Representative through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or click here to look up your Representative and the phone number.

After making your call, fill in and submit the form on the right to automatically send an email to your U.S. Representative. Remember to personalize the email message by expressing your opinion in your own words; it's much more effective.


Take Action!

Max - Medicine Hat APHA Gelding Stolen from Crawford County, IL - Aug. 23, 2008

Max - Medicine Hat APHA Gelding Stolen from Crawford County, IL - Aug. 23, 2008

Max - Medicine Hat APHA Gelding Stolen from Crawford County, IL - Aug. 23, 2008 $3000 REWARD - NO QUESTIONS ASKED - or Ford Truck offered for Max's recovery!* Download flyer here for Max Read Press Release for Max Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by (rotramel@ticz.com) on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 2:2:40 -------------------------------------- email: hkcaughran@yahoo.com, certify: yes Submitted By: Heather Rotramel owner name: Keith Caughren/ Kaitlynn Blilskie county: Crawford state: IL country: USA zip: 62427 home phone: 618-584-3178 other phone: 812-887-5179 Number horses: 1 tack report: No trailer report: No Theft Date: August 23, 2008 location: Crawford County, Flat Rock, Ill how missing: Max was in middle lot with a standardbred gelding. The fence was cut and Max was removed from his lot sometime during the night. Halter missing off another horse, and royal blue leadrope also missing horse name: MaximumReflections nickname: Max breed: Paint color: white with minimal sorrel markings age: 12 Years Date of Birth: February 12, 1996 Gender: Gelding weight: 1150 lbs height: 15-15.2 Hands markings: medicine cap two blue eyes white mane & tail dark brown forelock scar split on left hind foot skills: barrels and poles brand: No microchip: No registered: Yes, APHA picture: Yes reward: Yes reward amount: $3,000 or Truck!* (increased from $2,000 12/23/08) reward paid by: Keith Caughren Agency Report Date: August 23,2008 Agency Case No: 08080689 Agency Name: Crawford Co. Sheriffs Dept. Officer Name: Doug McNary Agency Address: 203 S. Jefferson St. Agency City: Robinson Agency County: Crawford Agency State: IL Agency country: USA Agency Zip: 62454 Agency Phone: 618-546-1515 do agree: yes * The person entitled to the reward can choose between the cash or the truck: 1999 ford 4-450 4wd crew cab 7.3 Powerstroke Diesel 6 speed New injectors New clutch Tires like new Color: white Star hauler bed Stainless wheel simulators Runs and drives great High mileage Est. value $6000

All content property of netposse.com unless otherwise noted. Copyright 1997 - 2007 Please read the disclaimer.

Euthanize horses instead of slaughtering them

Our own Kari Nienstedt, the Arizona Director of the HSUS has written a wonderful rebuttal to the article previously printed in the East Valley Tribune by Kevin Rogers, president of the Arizona Farm Bureau.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/133320

Kari NIienstedt, Commentary

In response to the Dec. 19 commentary, “Horse slaughter a humane option” by Arizona Farm Bureau President Kevin Rogers:

It is true that the last two U.S. plants that butchered horses for foreign consumption have closed and that the slaughter industry continues to ship horses on a long, miserable journey to be killed in Canada and Mexico. The U.S. plants were rife with animal abuse and recent disclosures by the U.S. Department of Agriculture document those cruelties quite graphically.

Being a horse owner is a choice — one that comes with the responsibility of providing humane, competent care for the horse at all stages of his life. There are many alternatives to sending these iconic animals to the horrors of slaughter. If an owner can no longer care for their horse, they can sell or lease their horse to another competent caretaker; relinquish the horse to a rescue or sanctuary, or if no other option exists, have the horse humanely euthanized by a licensed veterinarian. In most parts of the country, the cost of humane euthanasia is equal to or less than the cost of one month’s care.

Both backyard and large scale breeders have relied on the killer buyers to snatch up their “excess” horses and turn a profit on their deaths. This creates little incentive to breed horses responsibly, or to put any time or training into their animals. The result?

Thousands of horses needlessly trucked thousands of miles with no food, water or rest, to a gruesome death in foreign slaughter plants.

It is only a matter of time before legislation passes to finally end horse slaughter. The horse industry must take steps now to encourage more responsible breeding and stop hiding behind a foreign-owned industry that preys upon our companion animals.

Kari Nienstedt of Queen Creek is Arizona state director of the Humane Society of the United States.

SLAUGHTERGATE!! CONTINUED....

MESSAGE FROM JOHN HOLLAND:

TV Station KHOU has done a powerful piece on the USDA cruelty documents that Julie Caramante and Animal's Angels received through her FOIA. It features Steve Long and Julie and it is both powerful and graphic.
http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=315146

Here is a text version off of Texas Cable News

http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/houston/stories/khou081219_jj_horse-slaughter-transportation.7b642747.html
Thousands of U.S. horses slaughtered in Mexico for food
10:56 PM CST on Friday, December 19, 2008
By Brad Woodard / 11 News
Steve Long is a noted author as well as editor of Texas Horse Talk magazine. You can say he knows horses.

Thousands of U.S. horses slaughtered in Mexico
December 19, 2008

“They are the essence of beauty, everything about them, the way they move, the way they talk to each other, their personalities, they’re just magnificent,” he said.
He says that horses are not only deeply woven into the fabric of Texas History, but they are also great icons of the American West.
Still, despite that honor, records show that nearly 50,000 U.S. horses have been transported to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for slaughter and ultimately destined for the dinner tables in Europe and Japan.
“It’s an obscenity. It’s a horror. It’s something that makes me want to throw up,” said Long.

Records show that nearly 50,000 U.S. horses have been transported to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for slaughter and ultimately destined for the dinner tables in Europe and Japan.
Believe it or not, Long isn’t talking about the slaughtering practices in Mexico, although he finds them disturbing.
Long is talking about the horse slaughter industry, that until recently, thrived here in Texas and the United States.
“This is the biggest animal rights scandal since the Michael Vick case. This is slaughtergate,” said Long.
In fact, records show that there are two Belgian owned horse slaughtering facilities in the state. He says one of the facilities, Dallas Crowe, is in Kaufman, Texas and that the other facility, Beltex, is located in Fort Worth.
In 2006, 11 News reported that employees at both facilities used captive bolt guns and air guns on the horses instead of knives. That technique involves driving a steel bolt into a the brain of a horse.
Both Texas facilities were forced to close last year. Officials say that the closure came after a federal appeals court upheld a 1949 state law banning horse slaughter for human consumption.
Despite that action the slaughter horse business continues.
Julie Caramante is an animal cruelty investigator for the organization called Animal’s Angels and she often works undercover.
She said that it took her three years to obtain photos that document violations of the transportation of horses taken to Beltex between January and November of 2005.
“I saw horses that were dead in trailers, with their legs ripped off, with their faces smashed in, eyeballs dangling, and these horses, some of them were still alive. They were just standing there,” said Caramante.
Many of the injuries reportedly occurred when the horses were transported on double-decker trailers designed to haul cattle.
The U.S. banned that type of action last year, but there’s a loophole, said Caramante. She says that the double-deckers can still be used to haul horses thousands of miles to feedlots, like the one in Morton, Texas. It’s owned by the Belgian company, Beltex.
“They feed them and get them fattened up. The ones that live go to El Paso and then off to the plant in Mexico,” said Caramante.
While it’s currently illegal to slaughter horses for human consumption in Texas, 11 News has found that at least two states are considering measures that would make it legal.
Those who support horse slaughter say they’d like to see it resume here in the U.S. because of laws that protect horses from cruelty. They say it is a well regulated industry that provided humane euthanasia.
“Such things are laughable. And it would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic. U.S. humane laws have done nothing for the horse,” said Long.
E-mail 11 News reporter Brad Woodard

Horse slaughter a humane option...What?????

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/132828 December 19, 2008 - 6:49PM Horse slaughter a humane option Kevin Rogers, Commentary How many times have we heard the phrase “unintended consequences” in reference to government actions? Some actions have great intentions, but result in a major calamity. Let’s look at the issue of horse slaughter. There are no horse slaughter facilities operating in this country due to government actions. Congressional efforts are afoot to turn this into an outright and permanent ban. My family owns and loves horses — we have for generations, but there are certain realities of dealing with unwanted horses. Unfortunately, the unintended consequences of stopping horse slaughter were predictable. It costs $2,300 per year to feed a horse and add to that veterinary services, care and equipment. We are seeing some cash-strapped horse owners, some losing their homes in foreclosure, first cut the feed ration and veterinary care. Next is abandonment at livestock auctions or releasing the horse into the desert where it has no idea how to find water or food. Horse shelters are already stretched and there is low demand for adoption. The Arizona Department of Agriculture is running low on resources to round up and feed abandoned horses. These cash-strapped owners make the decision to not spend the $300 to $500 to properly dispose of an unwanted horse. It is not the right decision, but it is reality. What should be done with these unwanted animals due to economic times, age or the owner deciding the animal is not trainable or wanted? A horse can live 25 years or so. Until government shut down regulated and humane slaughter in this country, there was a local demand and value for unwanted horses. The Humane Society of the United States says we protest too much. Large animal veterinarians, animal control and livestock officers around the country don’t seem to think so. They see the abuses firsthand. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Quarter Horse Association, to name just a few credible organizations, agree these abuses are occurring. Of course horse ownership should be responsible. Abandoning horses, failing to provide adequate food and water and neglect constitute animal abuse. However, the reality is animals are being abused because we have eliminated an option, i.e. strictly regulated horse slaughter facilities as an outlet and market for unwanted and uncared for animals. There is a market for horse meat in the world. For example: we are shipping live horses to Canada for slaughter and the product is coming back to U.S. zoos — does this make any sense? Again, my family loves horses. We board and provide a training facility on our farm for other horse-owning families and we hate the abuse resulting from good intentions — simply because some people recoil from the thought of an animal being slaughtered. At the same time, no one is arguing that horses should not be euthanized, when sickness, old age or infirmity requires it, but when we stopped U.S. slaughter we pulled the rug from the economics. The radical ban has not been good for the horse, the horse owner or the entire horse industry. It is time for states and Congress to rethink this issue before more horses suffer abuse. Kevin Rogers is president of the Arizona Farm Bureau