This is extremely critical and one of the most important calls you will make. We have heard from several legislators that they are not hearing from us. We are down to the wire. We hear there will be a full senate vote this week so this is not the time to procrastinate.
Introduced in June by Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 1176) would prohibit the interstate/international transport and transfer of ownership of any equine intended for slaughter for human consumption. If passed, this bill will finally stop the flow of U.S. horses into Mexico and Canada, where they are processed for their meat and eaten overseas.
There is no such thing as humane horse slaughter at this time. What is stated below can be backed up with absolute evidence or extensive documentation of what actually happens. Please know that as awfully horrific as horse slaughter actually is, the untold suffering many horses go through from point of sale to slaughter is horrific. At the point at which the Kill Buyer owns the horse that is loaded on a large crowded tractor semi trailer, his biggest expense is fuel for the truck not food (or water) for the horses; which often are injured by the time they arrive at their first US feedlot stop many hours later. DOT and USDA Laws are often broken by driving too many hours; as well as drivers not providing horses rest, food and water at required intervals that are set forth in the Transport to Slaughter Act. Since laws are not enforced, Animals that are supposed to be protected suffer *before* the horrific death with the act of slaughter itself, regardless of the country where the horse is slaughtered.
The Humane Society of the United States praises the U.S. Department of Agriculture for closing a gaping loophole that previously allowed the horse slaughter industry to escape oversight and transport horses in inhumane conditions. Many horses bound for slaughter have ended up in dangerous double-decker trailers if the shippers exploited the loophole and simply made a stop between the auction block and the slaughter plant.
Chicago (EWA) – The long awaited Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on horse welfare fell far short of the respectable reporting we have come to expect from the GAO, even raising questions as to the agency’s credibility.
The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and Animal Law Coalition (ALC) have issued an exhaustive analysis and executive summary, demonstrating the embarrassing and shocking lack of evidence for GAO’s findings.
Chicago (EWA) – A coalition of animal welfare groups including the Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and the Animal Law Coalition has announced the first International Equine Conference (IEC) to be held September 26-28 at the Marriott Residence Inn, Old Town Alexandria, Va.
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – The case against individuals involved in the transport of Oklahoma based wild horses in the custody of the federal Bureau of Land Management has taken another turn, this time to the office of the United States Attorney in Salt Lake City. The 64 horses were seized from a Utah slaughter kill buyer and impounded August 5 and 6.
HOUSTON (SFTHH) – The Equine Welfare blog, Straight from the Horses Heart hit the milestone of 1 million unique views this day, August 16th, 2011. Originally intended to be a promotional platform for the heart rending book by the same name the blog soon became an internet megaphone for wild horse and horse slaughter related issues. Book author and publisher of the site R.T. Fitch says that he wouldn’t have it any other way:
On our blog we attempt to either post or write a positive and, hopefully, uplifting article for publication on Sunday. It is our hope that everyone has the opportunity to rest, relax and recharge their emotional and spiritual batteries before heading into another week of survival in a world turned upside down. The past two Sundays nothing, absolutely not one word has been published at “Straight from the Horse’s Heart”.
The Wyoming Tourism Board wants you and your family to come see the wild horses in Sweetwater County, but you better go quick. Beginning next month, federal officials and local contractors will roundup and remove approximately 700 of those horses (about 70 percent of the herd) to satisfy the complaints of the cattle and sheep ranchers in the area who don’t want to share land with federally-protected horses. The “cherished,” “living examples” of Wyoming’s western heritage will be penned in and then given up for adoption or sold at auction. Many will soon die. Some may even be slaughtered for meat. All will likely be gone from view in Sweetwater County. You and your family, having traveled to southwestern Wyoming, may be plum out of luck.
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