Horse News

Ask Atlas Air to End the Shipment of Live Horses for Slaughter

By on • ( 36 Comments )

Source: Canadian Horse Defence Coalition

“Please Help Us Stop this Useless Suffering…”

We don’t know whether Ambassador was born in Canada or the United States.  What we do know is that he was shipped by air to Japan for slaughter earlier this year.

Like all foals, his life began in the tender care of his mother whose protective instincts would have prompted her to do anything to protect her baby.  His soft ears perked up at the sound of his mother’s nicker as she tenderly encouraged him to stand and wobble about for the first time.  Hungrily, he guzzled her rich, warm milk.  He loved the spring sun on his back and the wind stirring his short, infant mane as he learned to gallop.  With the passing months, he grew faster and stronger and was soon easily able to keep up with his mother as they cantered together.

Perhaps it is a good thing that Ambassador and his mother knew nothing about his future.

During the days they spent with each other, they didn’t know that his life was worth nothing more than the money his flesh would bring.  They didn’t know that Ambassador would eventually be transported to a quarantine feedlot and be shipped with other horses to a faraway country for the sake of being slaughtered and eaten.

Ambassador’s mother may well have suffered the same fate.

Every year, approximately 7000 horses are transported by air from Calgary and Winnipeg (Canada) to Japan.  These shipments are often conducted weekly, with up to three to four large horses crammed together in wooden crates with little room to move around, let alone lie down to rest.  No food or water is provided during the gruelling journey to another continent.  Canadian legislation permits horses to be transported without food and water for up to 36 hours.  Sometimes, due to flight delays, the 36-hour period is breached.  During one year alone, six horses died during transport, three perished as a result of a landing accident, and one horse was found upside down and dead in his crate.

Canadian legislation prohibits horses over 14 hands high (like Ambassador) to share a crate with other horses.  The law says they must be singly shipped.  Their heads must not touch the ceiling of the crate.  Horses must not be deprived of food and water for any longer than 36 hours.

The law says all of the above things.  But for reasons of profit, Canada ignores the law.

The carrier responsible for shipping these horses to their deaths is Atlas Air, Inc., based in Purchase, New York.

In Ambassador’s memory, we invite you to politely request that Atlas Air stop shipments of live horses for slaughter.

Links to supportive articles:

New footage of shipment of live draft horses arriving in Japan – https://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/never-before-released-video-footage-of-a-shipment-of-live-draft-horses-arriving-in-japan/

Footage from the Calgary, Canada airport from 2013 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04S9Qt_mH5Y

Draft horse hitting the top of crate with his head – https://vimeo.com/130818790

Debate on live horse shipment: https://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/debating-the-live-draft-horse-shipments-on-ctvs-alberta-primetime/

CHDC Issues Press Release – https://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/chdc-issues-press-release-regarding-violations-with-live-horse-shipments-to-japan/

CHDC files complaint with CFIA:  https://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/we-file-a-complaint-with-the-cfia-and-transport-canada-about-the-live-horse-shipments-to-japan/

CFIA Failure to Enforce Regulations: https://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/news-release-cfia-fails-again-at-enforcing-regulations-for-live-horse-exports-to-japan/

We are petitioning:

Richard Broekman
Staff Vice President
Commercial Development and Charter Sales
Email: richard.broekman@atlasair.com
Phone: +1 914 701 8211
Mobile: +1 914 426 6900

Peter Beckett
Senior Director Charter Sales and Marketing
Email: peter.beckett@atlasair.com
Phone: +1 310 743 1042
Mobile: +1 914 318 3955

Jordan Frohlinger
Senior Manager Commercial Development, Sales and Marketing
jordan.frohlinger@atlasair.com
Phone: +1 914 701 8068
Mobile: +1 914 338 6108

Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter

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36 replies »

  1. People that do Not understand No food or water for 36 hours should fast without food and water and see the way their body as small as humans are feel missing the nutrients carbs and fluids and then you will understand. Getting a proslaughter supporter to not eat meat for 36 hours would probably send them into shock. Most people just blow off a 36 hr timeframe why? Think about animal neglectors and abusers who have malnurished animals. Those animals werent fed for longer periods so 36 hrs doesnt faze those abusers. Proslaughter doesnt care what their animals consume or how often. They need to refrain from food for themselves to see the real truth. They need to work and run and be in strange environmental conditions and then they would realize this is hard on horses. As for newcomers the sense of urgency isnt there. They do not know what is right or wrong yet with hauling or exporting so we need to train them to understand the stress anxiety fear and pain these crates put horses through. And last. We are Not stopping until this is ENDED! I would like to recommend to these shippers that as many people get into the crate that will fit until you can hardly close the door and take a trip together to Japan and fast for the 36 hours and then see how it feels for them. Of course they would say thats too cruel to put human beings through…..

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  2. God, I’m so sick and tired of this. It just disgusts me! I thought the pilots from this company went on strike and were also complaining about the transporting of horses. If they would slaughter Ferdinand what makes anyone think these people feel compassion for anything or anyone. I will make the calls and share my pure disgust with the whole issue. Murders who make money off the blood of horses. I damn them to Hell and hope they lose all their money and their company. And well what can We say about the Japanese who enjoy munching on foal meat! No souls what so ever!! Disgusting and inhumane people!!!

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  3. Text of letter—writing comments on this site won’t make a impression on the criminals—
    Sirs—
    Social media is widely distributing the stories and images of your company shipping live horses from Canada to Japan for slaughter. In violation of Canadian regulations, these equines often travel longer that 36 hours with NO food or water. (do you fly 36 hours with no water or food? A interesting moral consideration…..) They are crated with horses larger than 14 hands in multiples, which is a violation, and they are crated in such a way that they can strike the ceiling of their crates—another violation.
    Your company is attracting very negative public relations imagery and a notorious reputation for cruelty which can hardly benefit your bottom line. The general public worldwide is increasingly unwilling to stand by and watch the transport and slaughter of horses, dogs, cats and other “non-food” animals to countries where they are consumed for capricious and totally discretionary reasons. Japan is such a country—wealthy, well-fed and engaging in the consumption of flesh foods that defy moral and ethical consideration. This reputation shaming business conduct by your company is not justified or elevating in a Modern world. I urge you to drop such commerce and use the opportunity to bring a declaration of improved business ethics to your air commerce.
    Sincerely, Susan Rudnicki, Manhattan Beach CA

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  4. Why do we feel so compelled to torture animals for our own consumption!! We have plenty of food & there is no need for us to eat our horses!! Plus they are full of meds!!! How could a person enjoy eating a baby foal, or even worse eating veal!!! This must stop our world is just so evil!!!

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  5. Air shipping horses such a long way seems to have been proved to be cruel… Our food shouldn’t be gathered thru cruel means… Please stop this practice…

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  6. Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the intentional infliction by humans of suffering or harm upon any non-human animal, for purposes other than self-defense or survival.

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  8. Atlas Air Pilots Vote To Authorise Strike Action
    Canadian Horse Defence Coalition

    May 19, 2016 Pilots working for Atlas Air have voted in favour of authorising their unions to call strike action.

    “This is truly an unprecedented situation where pilots across five different companies are standing up together to send a message that we refuse to be treated below industry standards,” said Captain Mike Griffith, an Atlas pilot.

    “By calling this strike vote, we are telling our respective companies – and DHL – that they need to listen to the pilots who keep them flying and help build their millions in profits.”

    This of course includes profiting from the horse slaughter industry. While the pilots claim to be treated “below industry standards,” so too are the horses. We hope that if a strike action is initiated, that it will give a reprieve to the horses who are forced in multiples into cramped containers. These shipments are often conducted weekly with little room to move around, let alone lie down to rest. No food or water is provided during the gruelling journey to another continent.

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  12. CFIA seems to be as crooked as its counterpart here in the U.S. You wonder why was Mexico supposedly stopped from accepting U.S. horses for slaughter by the European Union because of numerous violations and Canada was never been stopped at all? The trouble is Mexico has never stopped accepting U.S. horses for slaughter I don’t know where the meat is being shipped if not to the the EU unless it is being sent to countries other than Europe. Has anyone heard from Equine Welfare Alliance I haven’t been sent any emails from them in months? Last I heard they were supposed to have had some friends keep a eye on the Mexican border to seen how many truck loads of horses were delivered there that was sent by John Holland.

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  14. Stop! I protest against the slaughter of horses. They need to be protected, people have money to help support their lives.

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  17. Please rise above the greed and cruelty and STOP the transport of horses and all live animals. Failure to do so will result in the ultimate ruin of this company. People are waking up.

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  21. This must stop. They need to not send horses anywhere. They are not food. What is wrong with people? How can they be so awful.

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  22. Horses at speacial beasts of good nature and help so many young people such as myself helps me center my life because I don’t know what I’d do white out her. Please save the less fortunate horses for fates so surreal as dog food and glue when the used to be the only motive of transpotation. One day years, decades down the road I believe cars will be Sharon the road with horse again.

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  24. I think it is completely despicable what these poor animals have to go through, it breaks my heart because i am a huge animal lover and a passionate horse person. And this needs to STOP please. They do not deserve this kind of treatment.

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  25. Stop this cruel and inhumane practice. There is no humane way to slaughter horses. Allowing animals to suffer tells me everything I need to know about the people responsible for it.

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  29. Dear Sir,or to it may concern, I understand everyone has a job to do. But when it comes to human consumption of horse meat And you KNOW AND heard that it is a very toxic meat and you still ship horses over seas YOU would think that you wouldn’t want to get sued,because horse meat is very toxic,and can and will make people sick. Horse meat isn’t to be eaten because of it being toxic. So my advice to you is to stop all shipments Of all types of HORSES . Because you see karma is a bitch and it will bite you in your ass.

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