Pledge to Stop the Slaughter of America’s Horses
Did you know that on average 137,000 American horses were sent to slaughter facilities in Mexico and Canada each year since 2012? The devastating number of horses killed for human consumption will continue to grow if we will not stand against this practice. We need to urge the Congress to pass a law against inhumane slaughter of American horses.
At weekly auctions, thousands of animals are being sold to kill buyers, who make money by sending them to slaughter houses. Beautiful, healthy and young horses are often hauled long distances in brutal conditions just because they were not lucky enough to find the loving owner.
And even more upsetting news came from the president Trump’s administration this May. The new budget proposal for 2018 introduces the idea of saving $10 million by selling federally protected wild horses and burros without the guarantee that animals will not be slaughtered. If the plan will be pursued, 59,000 wild mustangs from public lands and 45,000 horses held captive by the Bureau of Land Management are in serious danger of being killed for meat2.
Sign the petition to urge the Congress to pass a law against inhumane slaughter of American horses. If we don’t act now, the iconic wild horses of America will become just a myth sooner than we think.
A journey like no other…
Ongoing research confirms that horses are exposed to cruel treatment throughout the whole journey before meeting their death in Mexican or Canadian slaughter houses.
Terrified animals are kept in filthy, overcrowded conditions without any veterinary care. When falling sick, they are left to die alone. During the strenuous transport across the borders, no water or feed is available. The long journey of 1,000 miles takes in some cases over 20 hours3, which IS in compliance with the law of both countries. The U.S. law allows 28 hours and Canada 36 hours for their transport4.
According to the record, more than 30,000 horses slaughtered in Canada last year were imported from the United States3.
Fighting for horse welfare
The European Union is one of the key targets of American horse meat import. However, due to the lack of record about the safety of the meat for human consumption, the EU banned the import of horse meat from Mexico in 2015. This happened after a series of cases when veterinary drug residues were found in the imported horse meat5.
As a reaction to human health risk originating from dreadfully treated American slaughter horses, the Humane Society International urges the European Commission to stop the import of the meat even from Canada.
“After a century of shame, the time has come in North America to stop loving horses to death and love them for life instead.”
Allen Warren
Until the act is in place, more and more horses are being cruelly treated, culled and butchered. Already a decade long endeavors to bring an end to horse slaughter practice in the United States have now the closest chance to become a reality. All that is needed now is YOU.
Horses changed life in North America forever; shortening distances, carrying loads and ploughing the fields. In the past, life without their service would not be possible. Herds of wild horses became a symbol of the immense free lands of the United States.
Now, it is our turn to make sure these noble creatures are treated with respect they deserve!
References
1 https://www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/horse-slaughter
2 https://www.aspca.org/blog/trump-administration-selling-out-wild-horses
3 https://goo.gl/WPZW2B
4 https://goo.gl/5PpScm
5 http://www.hsi.org/world/europe/work/horse_slaughter/factsheets/horsemeat_consumer_safety.html
6 https://secure.aspca.org/action/SAFE-Act-2017