Tag Archives: horse slaughter

Update: Defund and Stop the Wild Horse & Burro Roundups

Jun 15, 2015 — Why does France TV 2 report mostly from the side of BLM and pro-slaughter advocates?

The overpopulation myth is dangerous

Recently France TV 2 came to the American West to report on the “problems” caused by the “overpopulation” of wild horses. Someone either fed them the story or they did a little research on Google about American mustangs and found the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) authoritative spin, vast website and their new America’s Mustang campaign to get their overpopulation message out, couched with pretty pictures and enticing video footage of huge herds running, helicopter roundups, etc. making news reporting easy. What foreign journalists would think the BLM is lying about wild horses chasing cows away from water sources when they have so much “factual” material out there to back up their position that there are too many wild horses?

France TV reports:

From: http://www.francetvinfo.fr/monde/usa/video-les-chevaux-sauvages-se-reproduisent-trop-vite-un-probleme-pour-l-ouest-americain_949025.html

Synopsis Translation:

Wild horses reproduce too fast, a problem for the American West

The United States prohibits mustang slaughter but the same authorities want to limit their number to 25,000 although there are already 50,000 on the land.

Mustangs are no longer welcome in the American West. Federal authorities ring the alarm for the overpopulation of wild horses on the land. There will be 150,000 in five years if nothing is done to stop their expansion. A bigger problem than the horses reproducing quickly and devouring everything on their path, according to the administration, is what is creating conflicts with certain ranchers.

2,000 horses were removed in 2015, an insufficient number

The Unites States prohibits slaughtering mustangs, but the same authorities want to limit their number to 25,000 but 50,000 mustangs are on the land. The ranchers who share the land with the wild horses won’t tolerate limited access to water sources in areas invaded by wild horses. The mustangs chase off their livestock.

In total, 2,000 chevaux were gathered in 2015, an insufficient number to reach the fixed objective, but the animal defenders call the process barbaric. Different methods have been launched without results, and that’s pushing the federal authorities to propose an award of one and a half million dollars to find a long lasting solution for the wild horse problem.

BLM’s spin dominates news report

Sadly the myths reported as truth in the France TV news report were not countered effectively and the good counter points ended up in the trash. The journalists interviewed BLM staff on the range. They met with ranchers who push the overpopulation myth and are pro-slaughter — including Callie Hendricksen. They interviewed Carol Walker, photographer, legal plaintiff and board member of Wild Horse Freedom Federation at a watering hole with a lot of mustangs. The journalists reported on training at a prison program with failed adoptions being the undertone. France TV 2 seems to have heard from all sides of the issue to be fair but who were their handlers? Was it Callie Hendrickson or BLM’s staff over at their America’s Mustang campaign? The news editor crafted the story from the materials shot in the field resulting in the BLM and pro-slaughter viewpoint out in front. The whole story focused on the alleged overpopulation of wild horses in a country that prohibits slaughter with the feds offering $1.5 million to whoever find the lasting solution for population control. Sounds like the BLM pitched this story to push their heinous agenda.

The French report shows the advocacy where we are losing the battle… We are split… A portion of the advocacy is supporting the overpopulation myth and offering solutions to the false problem. Are there really too many native wild horses left in the wild?

Overpopulation must exist to justify radical zero growth fertility control measures such as PZP, castration, field spaying and slaughter.

When wild horse groups support BLM’s overpopulation myth — with advocates pushing PZP as the “solution” to the “problem” — the overpopulation myth gets stronger and is eventually seen as truth. Reporting on myths as truth is a tactic used to sway public opinion — the second largest super power according to the President of the United States.

If we don’t all stand up to disprove the overpopulation myth then slaughter, sterilization and cruel roundups will be the end result.

PZP, made from slaughterhouse pig ovaries, is used for slow extermination because science proves it sterilizes after multiple use while the general public doesn’t notice. It’s a way to manage them to extinction, period. Proponents of the one foal only policy are jeopardizing survival of the species. What happens when the mare is sterilized through PZP applications and her “one foal” dies in the wild?

Overpopulation is necessary to justify fertility control, castration and field spaying. BLM has no accurate head counts of wild horses. The National Academy of Sciences stated in their 2013 report that there is “no evidence” of overpopulation, period.

Time to stand together

It’s time for all advocates to come together to protect wild horses. Together we are a mighty force for the wild ones.

I challenge all group leaders and advocates to put aside personal differences, break their contracts with BLM and agree to fight together to protect America’s wild horses for once and for all. Together we can do this.

Many blessings,
Anne Novak
Executive Director
www.ProtectMustangs.org
Contact@ProtectMustangs.org

Villa Chardonnay Works to Wither Horse Slaughter

A mare and foal living the good life at Villa Chardonnay. Photos: Abram Goglanian

Temecula, CA – December 21, 2014 – A devastating number of over 140,000 horses from the United States were sent to Mexico or Canada for slaughter last year according to the Equine Welfare Alliance. Thankfully, this immense figure is decreasing thanks to selfless animal rescues like Villa Chardonnay Horses with Wings, who welcome abandoned and often severely neglected horses with open arms.

Many believe that horse slaughter is a humane way of “euthanizing” sick or unusable horses but horse slaughter is a far cry from humane euthanasia. The term “euthanasia” implies that an animal is provided a painless and compassionate death free from suffering. The unsettling truth is that the system is highly flawed, and horses often suffer a brutal and terrifying end.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, “The USDA documented that 92.3 percent of horses sent to slaughter are in good condition and are able to live out a productive life.”

Only a small percentage of these animals are rescued, as there are few equine sanctuaries that can afford to accommodate horses that are completely out of options.

Unfortunately, many people overlook the harsh reality and ensuing trauma of the horse slaughter industry. Luckily, animal sanctuary Villa Chardonnay accepts as many abused and abandoned horses they can support, providing them with the love and compassion they never had.

Villa Chardonnay, one of the largest and most reputable sanctuaries on the West Coast, has saved 312 animals from a bitter end and provides a permanent home to over 200 animals today. Donations for most rescues in the United States are still down by 50% compared to before the recession, despite the increasing demand of horses in need. Villa Chardonnay’s heart and doors are always open to giving them a permanent home at the sanctuary.

Appaloosa runs free at his forever home at Villa Chardonnay
Appaloosa runs free at his forever home at Villa Chardonnay

As the epidemic of abandonment continues throughout the U.S., so increases the hoof count at Villa Chardonnay. A national capital campaign has been launched to move their sanctuary to a larger location, as the need has become critical. An excellent location has been identified that will allow Villa Chardonnay to become a self-sustaining nonprofit, and an Indiegogo fundraising campaign has been launched. Perks include anything from a polo shirt, to VIP event tickets, up to a 40 acre parcel of land.

Visit the Indiegogo campaign page to donate! A year-end matching donation campaign will match up to $25,000 in donations before December 23, 2014.

To sponsor one of Villa Chardonnay’s loving animals, visit http://goo.gl/cSpgnk.

For more information about Villa Chardonnay Horses with Wings, click here.

Visit http://www.villachardonnaypetsupplies.com/about-us/ to learn more about Villa Chardonnay Pet Supplies.

Follow Villa Chardonnay on Facebook and Twitter for up to date news.

Alexandra Lynch for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

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Equine Welfare Experts to Converge on Wellington

CHICAGO, (EWA) – Equine welfare advocates from several countries will meet this weekend at the fourth annual International Equine Conference (IEC). Invited guests who are expected to attend include Governor Charlie Crist, and Representatives Ted Deutch and Patrick Murphy. The IEC is organized by the Equine Welfare Alliance and Wild Horse Freedom Federation, and will be hosted by Victoria McCullough at her estate in Wellington, FL. The event brings together a wide spectrum of people dedicated to the welfare of domestic equines and the protection of wild horses and burros.

Speakers will address issues ranging from the plight of cart horses in Israel, to saving a nearly extinct Abaco Island horse. Representatives from the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition will give update reports on horse slaughter in Canada and the dangers of the hormone replacement therapy that is derived from pregnant mare urine.

The event provides both an educational and a coordinating function. The first conference grew out of alarm caused in 2011 when a ban on funding for horse slaughter inspections was dropped from the Agriculture budget, leaving the way open for horse slaughter to return to the US.

The last US horse slaughter plants were closed in 2007 under state laws and kept from moving to other states by the inspections ban. Since 2011, the concerted effort of the welfare advocates, and especially Victoria McCullough herself, has resulted in the restoration of the ban.

“We dodged a bullet in keeping the plants from coming back,” explained EWA’s Vice President Vicki Tobin, “but over a hundred thousand of our horses are still going over the border to slaughter in Canada and Mexico.”

The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) is a dues-free 501c4, umbrella organization with over 310 member organizations, the Southern Cherokee Government and over 1,100 individual members worldwide in 22 countries. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids. www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF) is a registered, Texas non-profit corporation with federal 501(c)3 status. WHFF puts people between America’s wild equids and extinction through targeted litigation against governmental agencies whose documented agendas include the eradication of wild horse and burros from public, federal and state lands. www.wildhorsefreedomfederation.org

Contacts:

John Holland
540-268-5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

R. T. Fitch
713.632.4573
rtfitch@wildhorsefreedomfederation.org

Last Proposed Horse Slaughter Plant Claims Unfair Treatment: Withdraws Application

CHICAGO, (EWA) – Following an extended legal battle, Blair Dunn, the attorney for the Valley Meats slaughter plant in Roswell, New Mexico today submitted a letter to the state Environmental Department withdrawing the plant’s application for a permit to operate a waste water discharge lagoon. The action would appear to mark the end of plans to reopen the former cattle slaughterhouse to slaughter horses, and takes place only a week before the final report of the hearing officer was to be released.

The plan to reopen the cattle plant as a horse slaughter plant had begun in 2011, following congressional reinstatement of USDA funding for required antemortem inspections. However, since the hearing in October of 2013, other setbacks had made the plant’s opening problematic. In January the omnibus budget had restored the prohibition on spending for inspections, and the 2015 appropriations bills in the Senate and House have continued that prohibition.

The battle over the issuance of the required permit was one of several legal struggles facing the plant. Additionally, the hearing officer had indicated that she intended to recommend against the permit on the basis of the history of violations by owner De Los Santos, when Valley Meats was slaughtering cattle.

At the time Valley Meats announced its intentions to slaughter horses it had been one of five plants with such plans. With the withdrawal of the application, Valley Meats appears to be the last to give up.

Dunn’s letter sites the “predatory litigation” brought by the New Mexico Attorney General’s office as well as the Humane Society and Front Range Equine Rescue as further reasons for the withdrawal.

EWA’s John Holland, who testified against the plant at the October hearing, explained: “In reality, the plant faced strong opposition from the state level all the way to the Obama administration where Vice President Biden and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack had strongly opposed the return of plants to the US.”

The last three horse slaughter plants in the US closed in 2007, but horses have continued to go to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. Almost 153,000 horses were exported to slaughter last year.

The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) is a dues-free 501c4, umbrella organization with over 310 member organizations, the Southern Cherokee Government and over 1,100 individual members worldwide in 22 countries. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids. www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Contacts:

John Holland
540-268-5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Update about ‘Defund and Stop the Wild Horse & Burro Roundups’ on Change.org

Dear Friends of Wild Horses and Burros,

Here is the latest problem we are facing to stop the roundups and protect all the threatened herds of wild horses living in freedom on public land:

We encourage the public to stop panicking and read everything they are asking their senators and representatives to do on their behalf.

Are wild horses really at risk of being slaughtered if they aren’t sterilized?

Is something in that form letter you received that you don’t agree with? Do you want wild horses sterilized using EPA approved restricted use pesticides?

These pesticides are not safe for domestic horses so why are they being pushed for use on wild horses? Are you giving up the fight for their freedom to live in natural family bands?

Why is an advocacy group encouraging their supporters to write members of Congress–via click and send form letter–asking them to sign on to the pledge to sterilize wild horses (already in non-viable herds) when BLM overpopulation claim is false?

We found their pitch citing a quote from the National Academy of Sciences 2013 report in their form letter being circulated around the Internet. It reads:
“…  Considering all the current options, [porcine zona pellucida (PZP) vaccines and GonaCon vaccine for females and chemical vasectomy for males] either alone or in combination, offer the most acceptable alternative to removing animals for managing population numbers…. ”

Even worse is the pledge they are requesting members of Congress sign and return the advocacy group’s office.

Senators and representatives will think the public wants “[porcine zona pellucida (PZP) vaccines and GonaCon vaccine for females and chemical vasectomy for males] either alone or in combination.” Is that what you want?

Or do you want to stop the roundups with a 10-year moratorium (suspension) on roundups for scientific research to investigate what’s the best way to manage the underpopulated herds of wild horses left in the West?

Why is this group pushing an elected official “pledge” to use “available fertility control” without scientific studies on population, migration, and holistic land management? What is going on here? Who is funding this scare-tactic-based campaign to sterilize America’s wild horses?

Why isn’t the group mentioning to members of Congress that the National Academy of Sciences report also said there is “no evidence” of overpopulation–why omit this?

Why hasn’t the group done any independent aerial or in-the-field research on population? Is it because it would not support the BLM’s faulty overpopulation claim?

See for yourself how many wild horses are left in the 800,000 acre Twin Peaks area during a recent aerial survey: VIDEO: http://vimeo.com/81195843. Read the scientific report exposing an underpopulation crisis on public land: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=6278.

The group appears to know wild horses are not overpopulated. Recently they were quoted in an Associated Press article debunking the BLM’s overpopulation claim in comparison with livestock on public land.

Why then are they attempting to lead the public into blindly supporting a plan lacking good science–a plan calling for permanent and temporary sterility actions against indigenous wild horses?

Is the group alluding to a false risk of all wild horses going to slaughter if they aren’t sterilized?

Why create all the panic so people will quickly click, sign and share the pledge with their senators and congressional representatives asking them to “take the pledge” for sterilization, etc.? Is the public reading what they are signing on to?

Why is the group pushing for “fertility control”–using sterilizants passed by the EPA as “restricted use pest control”? Wild horses are a native species. How can restricted use pesticides be used on native species? Read more here: http://www.thedesertinde.com/Articles-2012/EPA-Calls-Wild-Horses-Pests–0511.html.

Many other valid concerns about PZP were brought up in this 2010 article as well: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2010/10/220.shtml#axzz2tlL9dGaX, and in Ecologist Craig Downer speaks out against using PZP in the Pryors: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=4178.

Did you know that International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros (ISPMB) wild horse herd study shows that functional social structures contribute to low herd growth compared to BLM managed herds? http://protectmustangs.org/?p=6057

Even the National Academy of Sciences reported roundups resulted in abnormal increased birthrate. Are wild horses and burros fearing extinction now?

What if you follow the money?

Are American wild horses becoming lab rats for immunocontraceptives for other species including humans? Read the reference section at the bottom this research paper: http://randc.ovinfo.com/e200501/yuanmm.pdf.

How can man (BLM and others) decide which wild horses to sterilize on the range and who to breed? That would be the end of survival of the fittest and the beginning of domestication of the wild horse and burro.

Is the group’s paradigm flawed because it focuses on the individual wild horse and neglects to view the herd as most important–as the lifeblood?

Sanctuaries might need to sterilize wild horses because they have limited space but policy for native wild horses living in the wild should not be modeled after a sanctuary model–unless it is based on reserve design.

America’s native wild horses and burros are wild animals who benefit the ecosystem and fill their niche, reduce wildfire fuel, and help reverse desertification. They are not back alley cats that should be spayed and neutered because of an overpopulation problem. (No offense to cats.)

The alleged overpopulation problem for wild horses and burros is a farce.

Now the question is: What do we do to save the wild horses from those who are pushing for risky temporary and permanent sterilization using EPA approved “restricted use pesticides” on non-viable herds?

1.) Share this petition widely and don’t forget friends and family. http://www.change.org/petitions/defund-and-stop-the-wild-horse-burro-roundups?utm_source=supporter_message&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_message_notice

2.) Sign and share everywhere the petition for a moratorium on roundups for scientific research. http://www.change.org/petitions/sally-jewell-urgent-grant-a-10-year-moratorium-on-wild-horse-roundups-for-scientific-research?utm_source=supporter_message&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_message_notice Good science will find real solutions to protect wild horses and burros on the range.

3.) Send an email to your senators and your representatives if you don’t want America’s wild horses to be sterilized. Let them know you didn’t read the fine print of the form letter you signed and sent to them, if that is the truth.

4.) Meet with your senator’s aides and your representative to request they intervene in the wipe-out of America’s wild horses and burros by defunding the roundups and granting a 10-year moratorium on roundups for scientific research on population, migration, reserve design, holistic land management, etc.

5.) Visualize miracles of wild horses living in natural family bands in freedom.

Remember don’t let anyone scare you into believing wild horses are going to be slaughtered if they aren’t sterilized. Fight the good fight for our symbols of freedom and our national living treasures–America’s wild horses and burros.

Links of interest:

Contact your senators and representatives: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

Petition for a Moratorium on Roundups: http://www.change.org/petitions/sally-jewell-urgent-grant-a-10-year-moratorium-on-wild-horse-roundups-for-scientific-research?utm_source=supporter_message&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_message_notice

The Horse and Burro as Positively Contributing Returned Natives in North America, American Journal of Life Sciences by Craig C. Downer: http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/paperinfo.aspx?journalid=118&doi=10.11648/j.ajls.20140201.12

American wild horses are indigenous: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=3842 and http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562

January 26, 2014 Washington Post (Viral) U.S. looking for ideas to help manage wild-horse overpopulation: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-looking-for-ideas-to-help-manage-wild-horse-overpopulation/2014/01/26/8cae7c96-84f2-11e3-9dd4-e7278db80d86_story.html

Ecologist Craig Downer speaks out against using PZP in the Pryors: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=4178

International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros (ISPMB) herds show that functional social structures contribute to low herd growth compared to BLM managed herds: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=6057
Public outraged over the EPA approving pesticides for NATIVE wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=3866

GASLAND 2, a film by Josh Fox, the plight of wild horses is featured: http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/

Wild Horses and Renegades, a film by James Anaquad Kleinert: http://theamericanwildhorse.com/

EPA calls wild horses pests, Desert Independent: http://www.thedesertinde.com/Articles-2012/EPA-Calls-Wild-Horses-Pests–0511.html

Protect Mustangs’ letter requesting EPA repair error classifying iconic American wild horses “pests”: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=1191

EPA Pesticide Information for ZonaStat-H: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/pending/fs_PC-176603_01-Jan-12.pdf

AVMA Reports: Vaccine could reduce wild horse overpopulation: http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/apr12/120415k.asp

Wildlife fertility vaccine approved by EPA: http://www.sccpzp.org/blog/locally-produced-wildlife-contraceptive-vaccine-approved-by-epa/

Oxford Journal on PZP for Humans and more: http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/20/12/3271.long
PZP research for humans http://randc.ovinfo.com/e200501/yuanmm.pdf

Wild horse predators: http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080302002619AADTWzh

Princeton reports: Wildlife and cows can be partners, not enemies, in search for food: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S32/93/41K10/index.xml?section=featured

Visit our website: www.ProtectMustangs.org

Contact us if you want to help the wild horses and burros survive the politics that are trying to bring them down. We need volunteers, donors and people to help get this petition out there! Email Contact@ProtectMustangs.org.

Thank you for helping the wild horses and burros by signing and sharing the Petition to Defund and Stop the Roundups!

The star studded documentary, ‘Wild Horses and Renegades’ by James Anaquad Kleinert requests a moratorium on roundups.  See the video clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay1FUpzBIGs.

It’s time to pick the torch back up and continue the fight. Never give up. We the people must take back the power for the voiceless wild ones we love!

Please share this petition far and wide: http://www.change.org/petitions/defund-and-stop-the-wild-horse-burro-roundups?utm_source=supporter_message&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_message_notice

Together we can turn this around.

In gratitude,
Anne Novak
Executive Director of Protect Mustangs
www.ProtectMustangs.org

Omnibus Budget Will End Chances of Horse Slaughter Plants Opening in US

L-R: State Senator Joseph Abruzzo, Victoria McCullough, and Vice President Joe Biden.

CHICAGO, (EWA) – The omnibus bill pending before Congress this week contains language that will end the possibility of proposed horse slaughter plants opening in New Mexico and Missouri. The last three plants were closed in 2007 under state laws, and Congress had defunded required inspections which made it impossible for them to open in other states until 2011.

In 2011, the GAO produced a report claiming that these closures had caused a dramatic increase in the rate of abuse and neglect. This report was used by members of a small conference subcommittee to justify stripping the defunding language that had been placed in the 2012 House Agriculture budget but not in the Senate version. The GAO report was later discovered by EWA to have been falsified.

The new defunding language contains not only defunding, but also a stipulation that funding not be restored until and unless the Food and Drug Administration makes a determination that meat from American horses can be made safe to enter the food supply. The FDA regulates which drugs are safe in meat animals as well as their withdrawal times. The FDA currently categorizes horses as companion (non-food) animals. Such a determination would most probably require a reduction in the drugs available to treat horses and an increase in the required tracking of such treatments as is currently done with meat animals.

Defunding language was passed by both the House and the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committees in 2013 with super majorities, but neither budget reached the floor for a full vote. Last week with key support from Vice President Biden and congressional leaders, the defunding language was put into the omnibus bill.

“Victoria McCullough was the one who made this happen,” explains EWA President John Holland. “It was the fact that Victoria, an accomplished international equestrian and CEO of Chesapeake Petroleum, was spending her own fortune without regard for any personal gain that I believe gave her the credibility to accomplish this.”

In a conversation with EWA, McCullough asked that her gratitude go out to the many friends of horses in government who helped her, including VP Biden, Frank Biden, State Senator Joseph Abruzzo, Sen. Tom Harkin (IA), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz (FL), Rep. Tom Rooney (FL), Senator Mikulski (MD), Senator Mark Kirk (IL), Senator Dick Durbin (IL), Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Jessica Feingold-Lieberson and many others.

The success of this effort surprised many in Washington, since this budget has uncharacteristically little in the way of riders. Separate legislation will be needed to be passed to stop the export of US horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.

The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) is a dues-free 501c4, umbrella organization with over 310 member organizations, the Southern Cherokee Government and over 1,100 individual members worldwide in 22 countries. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids. www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Contacts:

John Holland
540-268-5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Missouri Turns Away from Horse Slaughter

January 5, 2014 – CHICAGO, (EWA) – Missouri, one of four states where horse slaughter plants were planned, is no longer on that list. On January 4, 2014, the Rains Natural Meats Company quietly filed a motion to dismiss their appeal with the Missouri Environmental Department, which had issued the Company a discharge permit that excluded equines. The move leaves only Valley Meats in New Mexico still fighting to open a plant.

The battle in Missouri started in Mountain Grove in early 2012 where it was immediately opposed by citizens organized by attorney Cynthia McPherson and other community leaders. The effort, led by Sue Wallis, next targeted a shuttered slaughter plant near Rockville, MO. In Rockville, despite early support from some town leaders, the effort also amounted to nothing.

Finally, the announcement was made that the Rains Natural Meats in Gallatin would be slaughtering horses. In 2013 they received a permit from the USDA for the required meat inspections, leading to almost constant speculation as to when the plant would open. Now it appears they too have dropped their attempt in light of intense local resistance and the fact that Congress may once again defund the required inspections.

“Missouri has been spared a most unpleasant, unprofitable and debasing experience,” said EWA’s president John Holland, and we all have many people to thank. “We are particularly grateful to Front Range Equine Rescue and HSUS for their incredible legal battle to defeat this attempt to bring back horse slaughter.”

Holland also extended particular thanks to the influential Busch family, who built the Anheuser-Busch brewing company that has become known for ads featuring its remarkable Clydesdale horses. Andrew, Billy, Adolphus and Peter, used their extensive political and business connections to help turn the state away from becoming the first in seven years to slaughter horses.

The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) is a dues-free 501c4, umbrella organization with over 310 member organizations, the Southern Cherokee Government and over 1,100 individual members worldwide in 22 countries. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids. www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Contacts:

John Holland
540-268-5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Horse Slaughter Plant Approved in New Mexico

In a disturbing move that opens the door for horse slaughter to resume across the U.S., a federal court ruling just gave a New Mexico slaughterhouse the green light to kill horses. This is the first time a horse slaughter plant has been approved to operate on U.S. soil since 2007. Companies in Iowa and Missouri also plan to open horse slaughterhouses. While the Court of Appeal granted a temporary injunction, we need to push for an all-out ban.

Now, more than ever, your legislators need to hear from you in support of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act! The SAFE Act would ban horse slaughter in the U.S., as well as banning the export of horses to other countries to be slaughtered for human consumption. Please contact your legislators today to urge them to support the SAFE Act. It is important that legislators know that their constituents support the humane treatment of America’s wild and domestic horses.

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031
idainfo@idausa.org

Navajo Nation Reverses Position and Now Is against Horse Slaughtering

Black Mesa, AZ (September 16, 2013) – The Nohooká Dine’, Elders and Medicine People of the Dine’, unanimously approved a Resolution opposing any and all action that leads to the slaughter of horses. The Horse is sacred to the Dine’ and is a central part of our culture and tradition. The Resolution, approved on August 26th, states in part that “The Great Horse Nation is a part of the Great Covenant. As a supernatural being, it possesses incredible power. It is inextricably tied to our spiritual way of life and our cultural traditions. When our children are born our families look to the horse spirit to see what they have delivered to us. If we fail to honor the place of the horse in our spiritual way of life and in our cultural traditions, then we jeopardize the very cycle that renews the life of our people. The Horse must be given respect and honored for their sacred place within the Creation, as they possess the same fundamental right to Life as we, Five Finger Ones, do.”

This past week, a spokesman for the Navajo Nation administration affirmed this position. During an interview on the radio program Native American Calling, Communication Director Erny Zah stated that: “Slaughtering is not a solution. As the Navajo Nation we are against slaughtering of these horses.”(Airdate – Thursday, September 12, 2013.)

“This statement from the Navajo Nation administration is more aligned with who we are as Dine’ people,” stated Leland Grass of the Dine’ for Wild Horses. “We urge the Navajo Nation to formally adopt a moratorium on horse slaughtering and to only legally contract with horse buyers that agree not to sell horses for slaughter or not to slaughter the horses themselves.” The people of the Navajo Nation were encouraged by Zah’s statement. There has been great concern over past comments that have been made by Navajo Nation President, Ben Shelly. He once voiced concern that the horses were causing environmental damage. These claims appear to have been based on misinformation. We are encouraged to see a shift toward conscientious resource management. The amount of money that is currently being spent to round up the wild horses for slaughter is capable of feeding and watering those animals for years. Grass believes that the Navajo Nation “could use these animals to teach our children;, we can care for them; we can sell them to people and organizations that don’t want to torture them.”

The Nohooká Dine resolution urges the Navajo Nation to be mindful of the foundations of their cultural and spiritual way of life. It concludes by stating: “The Nohooká Dine’ strongly urges Navajo Nation President, Ben Shelly, The Navajo Nation Council, The Navajo Nation Judicial Branch, US Department of Interior, and US Department of Agriculture to stop the desecration and destruction of the Dine’ Way of Life and Spiritual Foundation by recklessly promoting and supporting the round-up and mass execution of our spiritual relative the Horse.

“We are sending the Resolution to all legislators in Washington, DC to show our support for the Horse and to urge them to pass the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, currently pending before Congress,” said Grass. “While it is important for protecting the Horse within the Navajo Nation, a national bill is critical to ensure there is no incentive for horses to be taken from our lands or elsewhere in the United States for slaughter.”

For more information, contact:
Leland Grass, sacred4s@hotmail.com

Saving America’s Mustangs
www.SavingAmericasMustangs.org

Press Conference to Address Horse Welfare Issues Will Be Held on Opening Day of International Equine Conference

September 18, 2013 – Lexington, Kentucky (EWA) – The Third Annual International Equine Conference, hosted by the Equine Welfare Alliance, will be held September 27-29 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.

On the opening day of the conference, Friday September 27, horse welfare organizations will come together to hold a special press conference to provide expert information on equine welfare to the media and advocates that cannot attend the full conference.

Michael Blowen, owner and founder of Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Facility, will open the press conference. Participating in the press conference will be key individuals from The Equine Welfare Alliance, Respect4Horses, the Cloud Foundation, Wild Horse Freedom Federation, Wild Horses of the Abacos, and the Humane Society of the United States.

The press conference will cover the potential re-opening of horse slaughter plants in America, BLM’s mismanagement of America’s wild horses and burros, horse tripping, the over breeding of horses and other current issues pertaining to equine welfare.

Where:
Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm
1841 Paynes Depot Road
Georgetown, KY
502.863.1775

When:
Friday, September 27, 2013 from 11:00a to 12:00p

All press, media and public are welcome to attend the Press conference. Refreshments will be served.  Please be seated at 11:00a.

After the Press Conference, the three day International Equine conference will continue with a tour of Three Chimneys farm in Midway, Kentucky, Old Friends Farm and a meet and greet reception at 7:00p at The Kentucky Horse Park. On Saturday, presentations will commence and will end on Sunday. The soon to be released documentary “America’s Wild Horses” will also be previewed at the International Equine Conference.

For the agenda, list of presenters, additional information or to register, please visit www.equinewelfarealliance.org.

The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, all volunteer 501(c)(4) umbrella organization representing over 300 member organizations and over 1,000 individual members worldwide in 21 countries. EWA and its members are involved in a grass roots effort dedicated to ending the slaughter of American Horses and the preservation and protection of our Wild Horses & Burros on public lands. www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Respect4Horses is a horse welfare organization whose goals include providing information and documentation to educate the public, the media and legislators in order to promote changes in legislation in regards to current horse welfare issues such as horse slaughter and the roundups of our last remaining wild horses and burros. www.respect4horses.com

Wild Horse Freedom Federation is a registered, Texas non-profit corporation with federal 501(c)(3) status.  WHFF puts people between America’s wild equids and extinction through targeted litigation against governmental agencies whose documented agendas include the eradication of wild horse and burros from public, federal and state lands.  www.wildhorsefreedomfederation.org

The Cloud Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of wild horses and burros on our western public lands with a focus on Cloud’s herd in the Arrowhead Mountains of Montana. www.thecloudfoundation.org

Old Friends is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing a dignified retirement to Thoroughbreds whose racing and breeding careers have come to an end. By promoting these one-time celebrated horses through a campaign of education and tourism, we hope to raise awareness of all equines in need.  www.oldfriendsequine.org

The Wild Horses of Abaco organization is dedicated to saving the Wild Horses of Abaco, the world’s most endangered breed with only one mare, Nunki, remaining. Abaco is the northernmost of the larger Bahama Islands located of the southeast Florida coast of the United States.  http://arkwild.org/blog/

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated the most effective by its peers. Since 1954, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. We rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals each year, but our primary mission is to prevent cruelty before it occurs. We’re there for all animals, across America and around the world. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty – on the Web at humanesociety.org.

Contacts:

Simone Netherlands, Respect4Horses
928.925.7212
simone@respect4Horses.com

John Holland
540-268-5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org