On April 26th, the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly (277-137) to restore a 34-year-old ban on the commercial sale and slaughter of America's wild horses and burros. On Wednesday, the bill to ban the sale and transport to slaughter of all American horses cleared a critical Senate committee by a decisive 15-7 vote. These victories move us even closer to banning horse slaughter in the United States permanently.
Here's what happened: Unfortunately, our Florida U.S. Representative, Cliff Stearns, voted no on the wild horse bill. Please call Representative Stearns at (202) 225-5744 and express your disappointment. Our U.S. Senator, Bill Nelson, who serves on the Senate committee, voted yes on the horse slaughter bill. Please call Senator Nelson at (202) 224-5274 and let him know you appreciate his vote.
Your calls and emails are key to winning this fight. Everyday this past week, as I walked the halls of the House and Senate with other Humane Society of the United States staff, shoring up support for these two votes, every office we visited said the same thing: "We are getting a lot of phone calls from our constituents about the horses." Please help keep the momentum going:
- Clickhere to urge support for restoring protections to wild horses and burros.
- Click here to urge support for banning the slaughter of all horse
To shut down the horse slaughter industry in the United States and to stop horses from being exported to other countries for slaughter -- where they face longer transports and an even more grisly death -- we need everyone who cares about horses to get involved. Please tell your friends, family and colleagues how they can help.
Thank you for your continued commitment to ending horse slaughter. Together, we have made tremendous progress. And together we will finish the job and shutter this barbaric business for good.
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
P.S. These two important votes on horse slaughter come just a short time after we won commanding votes in the House and Senate on legislation to combat dogfighting and cockfighting. Congress is taking action on animal protection issues!
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FACTS AND FAQ's ABOUT HORSE SLAUGHTER
* Last year, three foreign-owned slaughter plants cruelly slaughtered more than 100,000 horses for human consumption in Europe and Asia. Tens of thousands more of America's horses were exported from the United States and slaughtered in other countries.
* Slaughter is NOT humane euthanasia. Horses suffer horribly on the way to and during slaughter.
* Passage of the AHSPA will reduce animal suffering hence its wide support throughout the equestrian and veterinary world, as well as the humane community.
* Americans overwhelmingly support an end to horse slaughter for human consumption. In California, a 1998 ballot initiative to ban horse slaughter for human consumption passed with 60 percent of the vote.
* Animal cruelty is NOT a property rights issue. It is illegal to abuse and neglect any animal, and horse slaughter is one of many tragic forms of animal cruelty.
* A recent ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Texas law making the operation of the two Texas plants illegal.
* The US District Court recently ruled that the US Department of Agriculture scheme that allowed the horse slaughter facilities to hire their own inspectors is a violation federal law. All plants were ordered to close immediately.
* Horse slaughter has been stopped temporarily in the United States, but could resume without passage of the AHSPA. Horses are still being shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, causing even greater suffering.
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