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AWIAs Study Begins, the Animal Welfare Institute Calls on BLM to Halt Wild Horse RoundupsWashington, DC (September 1, 2010) – While the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes the recent news that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has asked the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council (NAS/NRC) to review its National Wild Horse and Burro Program starting January 1, 2011, we are deeply disappointed with the agency’s blatant disregard for calls to halt wild horse roundups pending completion of the review. AWI first recommended this outside review along with a moratorium on roundups over a year ago given the widespread problems being reported in the BLM’s management of wild horses. “While we are grateful that the BLM has finally realized the urgent need for advice from scientific experts, we continue to be disappointed at their stubborn refusal to halt the massive wild horse roundups they are conducting at an alarming rate,” said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs for AWI. In testimony to the House and Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittees, AWI laid out its reasoning and criteria for an independent study by the NAS, a moratorium on all non-emergency roundups, and the critical importance of maintaining language preventing the BLM from killing tens of thousands of healthy wild horses. In July, similar concerns were raised with the BLM in a bipartisan letter from House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall (D-WV), National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee Chairman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and 52 of their colleagues. Just Because Congress Is Taking a Break Doesn’t Mean We Can!
Dear Humanitarian: Members of the U.S. Congress return home for the month of August to meet with constituents and hold town hall meetings so they can better understand what is happening in their districts. This is a key time for you to take direct action on the important animal protection bills currently before Congress. AWI is constantly advocating for these issues in Washington, D.C., and you often ask us what you can do in addition to writing letters and calling your legislators. Well, this is it. Our elected officials need to hear in-person from their constituents – including you! They need to realize how important these issues are to you, your family and friends. AWI is asking you to take some time to set up a one-on-one meeting in your legislators’ district offices and attend town hall meetings to bring these concerns to the attention of your U.S. Senators and Representative while they are back home. While there are many important animal protection bills pending before Congress, AWI is asking in particular that you address the tragic plight facing America’s wild horses, as well as the need to end horse slaughter through passage of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503 and S. 727). There is broad bipartisan support for corrective action in support of the horses, but legislation has not yet been put before the full House and Senate. It is critical that Congress take action before the end of the year. Do Something Wild This Summer — Save the Wild Horses!
Dear Humanitarian: One of the most successful components of any grassroots campaign is the involvement of our youth and that couldn’t be truer than with our current efforts to protect America’s wild horses. Kids, with their passion and honesty, are welcome and critical additions to spreading the word. Anyone working on this issue has probably heard how massive letter writing campaigns by children all over the U.S. helped Wild Horse Annie get Congress to pass the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act in 1971. Many adults fighting for wild horses today got their start at that time. We need to reignite that passion because if we don’t act soon, the children of today might not be able to enjoy wild horses for much longer. To help get more young people involved, AWI has turned its recent “Home on the Range?” ad into a coloring page for kids. Our goal is to get this to as many children as possible so they can color it in and mail it to the Senators and Representative of the Congressional district where they live and to President Obama. If kids are particularly enthusiastic they can also send copies to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and to us at the Animal Welfare Institute. House Committee on Transportation Unanimously Approves Horse Transportation Safety ActHouse Bill to Ban Hauling Horses on Double Deck Trailers (Washington, DC) – The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN), of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for bringing the Horse Transportation Safety Act (H.R. 305) before his Committee and supporting its swift unanimous passage. “We are especially grateful for the leadership and commitment of the bill’s sponsors Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN). Both have been incredible champions for the welfare of America’s horses,” noted Christine Sequenzia, AWI federal policy advisor. Several bipartisan cosponsors spoke in support of H.R. 305 during the hearing, including a poignant opening statement by Congressman Cohen. H.R. 305 passed by a voice vote with no amendments and is now headed to the House floor. Congress Moves to Restore Ban on Animal Crush VideosWashington, DC (May 26, 2010) – Members of Congress and constitutional experts testified today before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on the recent Supreme Court decision invalidating a law prohibiting interstate commerce in crush videos, dog fighting videos, and other depictions of extreme animal cruelty. (Crush videos portray scantily clad women in stilettos, or even their bare feet, literally crushing, stomping on, or impaling small, helpless animals to satisfy sadistic viewers with a bizarre sexual fetish.) When this law was passed in 1999, at the request of prosecutors, the market for crush videos quickly dried up. The Supreme Court took up the case of an individual challenging his conviction for selling dog fighting videos, and overturned the law on grounds that it was overbroad and violated the First Amendment. Within hours of the Supreme Court’s decision, the crush video market reopened. Two bills, H.R. 5092 (with 306 cosponsors) and H.R. 5337, have been introduced to restore the ban in a way that will pass constitutional muster. Oklahoma Horse Trailer Accident Highlights the Need for Federal Legislative Action
Washington, DC (May 24, 2010) – The need for federal legislation ending the slaughter of and providing safer transportation for American horses came to the forefront again last Tuesday, as we witnessed another horrific accident involving an overturned cattle trailer carrying 30 horses. At around 6:00 am on May 18, 2010, Christopher Dobbin of Missouri fell asleep behind the wheel of a stock cattle trailer hauling horses bound for slaughter in Mexico to a temporary feedlot in Texas. Eleven of the 30 horses died as a result of the careless and inhumane transportation methods used by Dobbin, who was issued a reckless driving citation. This unfortunate accident underscores the desperate need for quick and thorough legislative action to end the slaughter of American horses and provide safer transportation for equines. Tennessee Horse Slaughter Bill Criticized by Willie Nelson Fails in House PanelMay 4, 2010 – NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A horse slaughter bill that was criticized by Willie Nelson has failed this session of the Tennessee General Assembly. The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Frank Niceley of Strawberry Plains was unanimously sent to a summer study committee by the House Finance Committee on Tuesday. The companion bill has been withdrawn from consideration in the Senate. Niceley’s proposal stated that the slaughtering of horses is “best addressed by proper state regulations and inspection and not by banning the humane slaughter of surplus domestic horses at the federal level.” |
