By: Ryan Luby, KOB Eyewitness News 4
“You know, if something works, why change it?”
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ALBUQUERQUE — After first reporting yesterday that the Albuquerque BioPark will receive 38,000 pounds of horse meat to feed its animals, KOB looked into other zoos across the country to see what they were feeding their animals.
Only six of the eleven zoos KOB contacted across the country responded, and results were mixed.
The San Diego Zoo said they do use horse meet, but said they only recently started using a little bit last year. The zoo said some of their animals stopped responding to all-beef diets, which is why they switched to horse meat for some animals.
The Houston Zoo said they also used horse meet, and noted it was the “most nutritious” meat available to them.
The Denver Zoo said they used horse meat as well, along with Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo, and the Memphis Zoo, which said they used horse meat, but that it only comprised 10% of animals’ diets.
The only major zoo KOB contacted that said they did not use horse meat was Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. The zoo said they stopped using horse meat about ten years ago for budgetary reasons.
Here in Albuquerque, BioPark Director Rick Janser said the zoo tried an all-beef diet, but said several types of animals stopped eating altogether. He says the horse meat they use is safe and comes from the same Canadian supplier that multiple zoos across the country use.
“You know, if something works, why change it?” Janser said. “Why change it just for the sake of changing it?”
Horse meat critics question the safety of the meat, saying horses, in general, are injected with more than 100 chemicals that undoubtedly have long-term health consequences.
After all, horse meat no longer exists in household pet food in the U.S.
Albuquerque plans to go forward with its ongoing purchase of horse meat in the next few weeks.
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Because, God knows, we’ve ALWAYS done it this way.
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I am pretty sure it is economics to them..after all, for all involved they are “only” animals, and therein lies the problem..they just don’t see animals as being very important except to make them money….how sad.
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Isn’t it creepy that we have so little control on ourselves, that we need to cage free wild animals and then because we fear them, we feed them by killing other animals for them. And isn’t it even more creepy that knowing how Americans feeel about killing horses for “product”, these “zoos” are deep into the industry of killing not only horses but other animals to feed other animals. Its as if we are sitting not on the right or left of but on the throne of God. Because, you know, God didn’t quite think this through.
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Yes, it’s creepy. This mindset of how we view animals – zoos belong back in the Victorian era, when people treated animals, and other humans too, as curiosities. Supposedly we’ve progressed. We destroy them and their habitat in the wild for human gain, so many are on the verge of extinction – and we keep others in zoos and marine parks. For example, the Georgia Zoo in Atlanta is fighting, and I mean fighting, NOAA in order to bring captured Beluga whales into this country and to be kept in tanks. If you’ve watched Blackfish, you know it isn’t pretty.
I think the wolves in sanctuaries are fed bison too? At least it’s a natural part of their diet. Let’s not try to let a wedge be driven between wolf and horse advocates. It’s the unnatural way we confine non-human animals that is the enemy.
We’ve screwed the balance of nature up royally, haven’t we? What a plague on the planet, as Sir David Attenborough has said. And as for our gov’t in DC, what can you say but a mind-numbingly disappointment and ecologically clueless.
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They need to look into wild animal sanctuarys also—a few months ago, a lady I know who is a wolf advocate, was telling me about her trip to a wolf sanctuary here in CO – They camped and got to witness “”the big feed”” according to her the big feed is– they shoot and Butcher a horse – feed the wolf’s so people can take pictures of them feeding in the wild – I asked her where they got the horses – her answer was they keep a herd there.
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SORRY MY FAT FINGERS POSTED IT HALF WAY
When RT posted about the zoos I checked their Web site – they do not say anything about feeding horse meat – so I will not post their Web site – but what did I find they keep a herd of wild horses and the horse in the picture has a BLM BRAND on his neck—-so when 80 horses die and no follow up, when mustangs disappear maybe this is where they disappear too.
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Are you saying the dead horses are transported here or BLM horses are brought here to be fed to the wolves? Can you post the photo?
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I am not insinuating anything – just a thought – if they had mentioned they feed the wolf’s horse I would have posted the picture – but I do not want to get sued – go online to Colorado Wolf sanctuarys – am sure you will find it.
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i did a search for wolf sanctuaries in CO, i found only 3 .. One offered feeding tours but did not show a single photo with a horse in it, another mentioned feeding horses to wolves that have been donated as well as from their own herd but didnt mention anything about feeding tours, they showed 2 photos of horses, one was for the “donate a sick horse” button and the other is for horses that are available for adoption button ( surprise! none are listed) the third neither mentioned feeding horses or feeding tours
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StormDancer—-it is on their Web page, they tell about everything they offer, camping, the big feed, and a wild horse herd – that is where the picture is – try entering with different search words.
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StormDancer—I am sorry I had the name of the sanctuary so I could go right to their site – just keep looking – it is there.
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Reblogged this on "OUR WORLD".
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This is what weve been up against for years. The war rages against horsemeat in zoos but they just do not seem to care. Look up how many animals consumimg meat in the large cat families that died in their care. The Chicago Zoo needs horsewhipped with OUR very state being anti slaughter. But it goes with the tide of conformity rather than having Higher Standards. The Chicago Zoo isnt really concerned when you look at the wages of whose employed. The care the animals should recieve is expected to be higher than w backyard menagerie but do they should compassion towards horses slaughtered. None. Why because they are busy raising they salaries and buffooning the public. We are an antislaughter state and for thebsake of argument I pose the question if state law in Illinois says only meat in the tiniest ground form can be in Illinois how do they feed it at the zoo? Mash? And recently they had big cats dying across the US in Zoo settings but they were clever to not sayif they fed horsemeat when asked then. We havegroups in oir area that take tours and when they realized zoos fed horsemeat they Removed the zoos from their tours list. What really makes me burn is the absolute Lack of compassion towards the horses. Why Change Anything? Why I would like to ask that man would You condone animals from anywhere USA being transported in inhumane conditions getting their eyes gouged out by people who are NOT veterinarians hauled in the 110 degree heat packed in like sardines hauled with no feed or water to no be checked for illness…injuries as the suffer with no treatment and the lucky ones die before the plant gets a chance to shoot them repeatedly and watch them struggle and suffer hanging them from a meat hook upset down…ripping their legs oit of socket aware of being vivisected…..then damaging the envirinment with their blood fluids and tissue filled w drugs….antibiotics and then packaged for you to make the stupidist F…..ing comment in a Zoo workerslife! TheseZoos should be ASHAMED! I wouldnt have thought they would Actually say Out Loud they do not care about animals. But message well recieved/ loud and clear! This is sick….send them videos of these abusive plants. I am strongly outspoken in the zoo area because they are supposed to be higher standard than anywhere these animals in cages could in the world. What a let down!
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Reblogged this on cindymendoza47 and commented:
visous circle .do they not read up on things before they act. now that big cats are dying across america what do they think these drugs do to people . and a thought on the herd . are they approved to contract horses at the wolf sancutary . because if they are they can be turn in right ?
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that wolf sancutary is it contracting the horses for long term holding ,? wonder what would happen if turned. sick people now with the cats dying , maybe they will figure out that people aren’t suppose to eat that meat either. what gets me the most of all of this is” people just don’t feel anymore more like zombies just moving coz”.
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Another reason why we do not have to have zoos – we cannot feed the animals properly, and look what it takes in order to feed captive animals that eat meat. They are better off in the wild, if any habitat remains for them. Zoos belong in the past, and we have learned (or should have) that animals are sentient beings that deserve their own autonomy. We don’t need to deprive animals of their freedom in order to ‘teach’. Leave them alone.
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Yes.
I was gonna say purty soon it will be humans we dispatch because they are prey for the predators – but that ahleady happens (homeless and mentally disordered). What is crazier is the statement – “its good for the animals.”. This guy is the head of a foundation that I guarantee handles millions of dollars a year. For the animals. And I wonder if they have any zebras in their “inventory”.
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At I believe the Copenhagen Zoo they kill and butcher young “excess” giraffes in front of school children and feed the meat to the lions and other big cats all in the name of education. Humans are the sickest and most evil animals on the planet.
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