Horse Slaughter Trends from 2006 through 2009

A study of horse slaughter trends analyzing data from 2006 through October, 2009. See how the findings prove that the number of horses slaughtered is not related to the number of "unwanted horses", but to the demand for horse meat.

By John Holland

Horse Slaughter Trends from 2006 through 2009:  CLICK HERE

Learn more about pro slaughter propaganda at

Saving America's Horses

Horsemeat Faces Potential Ban in Italy

Horse meat, one of Italy's most popular culinary delicacies, is under threat from a cross party proposal to ban its sale.

By Nick Pisa in Rome
Published: 6:20AM GMT 08 Feb 2010

Italy is the largest consumer of horsemeat in Europe with more than 48,000 metric tonnes eaten every year and it is a common dish among youngsters because of its high iron content.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation 213,000 horses are slaughtered in Italy every year but now politicians from all parties are considering banning its slaughter and sale.

Francesca Martini, a minster with the Italian health ministry and a member of the ruling Right-wing coalition, has put forward the bill, arguing that the "dignity of horses should be respected".

READ COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE!

BLM Postpones Eagle HMA Round Up

Sunday, Feb 7, 2010
Wild for Life Foundation

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) now shows caution regarding the proposed Eagle HMA roundup, as it could cause imminent harm to wild horses during  foaling season.

The recent Calico roundup was one of the most widely publicized BLM assaults on the wild horse population.  Pro horse advocates recently discovered over 25 deaths due to the BLM chasing pregnant mares across miles of various terrains and away from their legal herd areas.  Evidence indicates that the hoofs were run off the legs of several foals during this round up. WFLF questions the sincerity of the BLM's sudden recognition of foaling season, especially since the BLM showed no concern for the best interest of these wild horses during past round ups. If the BLM goes forward with the Eagle roundup after what they call foaling season, it could be scheduled during extreme summer temperatures; furthermore the new born foals would be placed in imminent harm and risk of death. So just when would be a good time for the BLM to remove wild horses from their rightful range lands?

BLM states that they will conduct further environmental studies and allow public comment prior removing any wild horses from the Eagle HMA. On December 28, 2009, the BLM issued a preliminary environmental assessment (EA) proposing to roundup what they call "excess" wild horses from the Eagle HMA during the month of February 2010. More than 9,000 public comments were submitted following a 30-day comment period.

The preliminary EA also included a proposal to remove approximately 50 wild horses that have migrated away from the Eagle and Silver King HMA. BLM states that these horses are threatening the safety of motorists along U.S. Highway 93 near Pioche, Nev. The BLM states that three "animals" have been hit by vehicles during the past year along HWY 93, but the BLM did not clarify as to what species these animals were. BLM is currently planning to remove these 50 wild horses and may announce their plans next week.

WFLF is concerned about the removal of the wild horses from outside of the HMAs.  Government officials have in the past,  mislabeled wild horses as "feral". Feral horses are not given the same protection that wild horses are provided and considering the way that the BLM treats wild horses, we find this is very concerning.

Link to BLM Update

Calico Round Up Ends Feb 5, 2010

Broken Horses, Broken Promises

Calico Round Up Ends with 1922 Mustangs Captured

Death Toll 39 To Date

The Bureau of Land Management has pulled the plug on the massive roundup of wild horses in the Calico Complex. This remote and starkly beautiful area in northwestern Nevada was home to one of the largest wild, free-roaming herds of wild horses in the United States. 39 horses are reported dead as a result of the winter roundup. This does not include the 25-30 mares that have aborted their late term foals in the feedlot style facility outside Fallon, Nevada. The death toll is expected to rise as BLM begins preparing and processing the horses next week (freeze-branding, gelding of stallions, etc.). However, the public may not know what happens from here on out, as BLM has decided not to provide veterinary reports on the cause of death in the new Fallon facility, according to BLM manager, John Neil. 

Despite a public statement by Don Glenn (December 7 at the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meeting in Reno) in which he said that the public is welcome to view the roundups at any time (hence no need for a humane observer), the public was allowed only limited access to watch the Calico roundup. Viewing was limited to Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays by appointment only. Only 10 observers were allowed on any one day.  Even on the days the public was allowed to attend, viewers were required to leave between 1 and 2 in the afternoon, even though the Cattoor contract crew and helicopters continued to round up wild horses. Close access was denied for the last two weeks of the operation and injuries could not be detected or documented. BLM has referred to the visitors as “anti-gather advocates”. The contractors admitted that 30 wild horses captured on January 31 were left overnight in a crowded capture corral without water due to muddy conditions which prevented trucks from accessing the capture sight.

Now BLM sights are set on the wild horses of the Eagle Complex in the mountains of eastern Nevada. The area is larger than the state of Rhode Island, yet the number of mustangs allowable according to BLM is 100. At the same time, the number of privately-owned welfare cattle allowed is over 2,700.

 --The Cloud Foundation

An Open Letter to President Obama

By Laura Allen, Animal Law Coalition

Published with Permission  

• Horse Slaughter

I did vote for you. I was intrigued by your call for "change". You signaled a dramatic new course, one of openness and inclusion.  Certainly I applauded your choice of Joe Biden as vice president, a staunch animal welfare advocate.

The promises
During the 2008 campaign you said, "Federal policy towards animals should respect the dignity of animals and their rightful place as cohabitants of our environment. We should strive to protect animals and their habitats and prevent animal cruelty, exploitation and neglect.... I have consistently been a champion of animal-friendly legislation and policy and would continue to be so once elected." You announced that you had co-sponsored legislation to stop the sale for slaughter of wild free-roaming horses and burros. During the election you signed on as co-sponsor to the bill to ban horse slaughter for human consumption.  When asked specifically during the campaign, "Will you support legislation ...to institute a permanent ban on horse slaughter and exports of horses for human consumption", you gave an unqualified "Yes". (HSLF questionnaire)
Today, in January, 2010, you are presiding over one of the deadliest, most cruel and unnecessary government roundups of wild horses ever documented by BLM. 

As of this writing, more than 2 dozen horses have been killed by helicopters used by your administration to run them off their legally protected herd areas and corral them in long term holding pens. The hooves of two little foals have literally torn off as they ran for their lives from the BLM. BLM's Richard Sanford DVM reported on one, "Multiple hoof sloughs were noted and the foal was euthanized for humane reasons. The cause of these hoof abscesses/sloughs was most likely hoof trauma from the gather operations."

Several mares have also aborted spontaneously or miscarried. This after being forced to run miles from a helicopter and trapped in a corral, terrified, traumatized and forever separated from their herds, their families. A long time BLM official whom you promoted to the job of Assistant Director for Renewable Resources and Planning in the BLM, Edwin Roberson, claims the spontaneous abortions are "the result of the poor condition of many of the older mares and ... directly related to lack of forage on the range." Except that they weren't miscarrying on the range and didn't do so until after they were forced to run hundreds of miles, extremely afraid, and lost their families and freedom forever. Your administration would have us believe that the mares all miscarried in the past few days because of years of eating the forage on the range and it had nothing to do with the severe trauma of the roundup they had just endured?

The nearly 2,000 horses that have now been removed from their herd areas are contained in an open, dirt arena, basically a feedlot, with no windbreaks or other protection from the weather. Visit Saving America's Horses - A Nation Betrayed, for more information on this deadly roundup.

(Cont'd) 

Youtube Question to the President: 
“What’s it Going to take Mr. President, to Save America’s Horses?”
AAHS & WFLF Joint Statement: Rise Up America!

What’s it Going to Take to Save America’s Horses?

What’s it Going to Take to Save America’s Horses?

WFLF and AAHS Call On Congress To Step Up For Our American Horses.

In a continuing joint effort, WFLF Humanion Films and Americans Against Horse Slaughter are calling on Congress to expedite passage of HR503, The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act which would end the slaughter of equines, both domestic and wild and halt the export of our horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.

During the past Presidential election, then, Senator Obama pledged to support animal rights issues. “I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other and it's very important that we have a president who is mindful of the cruelty that is perpetrated on animals." Senator Obama said.

With strong track records on animal protection issues, both President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden co sponsored past legislation to end horse slaughter.

The BLM’s round of the Calico wild horses has become known as one of the most cruel and unwarranted wild horse roundups our country has ever witnessed. Hundreds of thousands of calls to the President by concerned citizens continue to go unanswered.

Concurrently, our young and healthy horses (race horses, show horses, ponies and wild horses) continue to be transported across our borders to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered for the sole purpose of wealthy dinner plates overseas. The transport is cruel and inhumane as horses are shipped for days in crowded trucks going without food, water or rest.

The passing of federal legislation to end the cruel horse slaughter activities in America is long overdue. With support from the majority of the American people, we have to ask, “What’s it Going to take Mr. President, to Save America’s Horses?”

See the WFLF video clip presenting this question to the President!

AAHS & WFLF ASK ALL AMERICANS TO PLEASE TAKE ACTION!

Please take a minute to see if your U.S. Representative is already a cosponsor of H.R. 503 and if your two U.S. Senators are co sponsors of S727. If your Representative and Senators are not yet cosponsors, please make a call and ask them to cosponsor the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.

To reach your federal legislators, please call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or for your convenience, you can use this toll-free number 800-828-0498 and ask for a legislator by name (or ask for extension, last 5 numbers of legislator's office phone)

WFLF Humanion Films is in production on the feature documentary film entitled “Saving America's Horses - A Nation Betrayed”. The mission of the film is for the protection of all equines from slaughter.

Humanion Films is the film label under Wild for Life Foundation (WFLF), a California nonprofit public benefit corporation organized for the purpose of protecting animals from cruelty and protecting wildlife from extinction.

Americans Against Horse Slaughter is a non funded grassroots movement comprised of constituents from all 50 States. Their only mission is to end horse slaughter and the transport of horses to slaughter through the passing of Federal legislation

http://www.savingamericashorses.org/home.html
http://www.americansagainsthorseslaughter.com/
http://california-aahsbloggingupdates.blogspot.com/

NV officials propose sending "feral" wild horses to auction

Nevada is home to many of our country's last free roaming wild horses. Despite the current economic slump, this is a state where tourism has flourished causing development to sprawl. In one such case, wild horses; native to the lands have been labeled feral by the NV Dept of Ag. The labeling in NV enables officials to round up these horses and send them to auction with no protection from the slaughter pipeline. Neighboring communities are lacking fences that should have been built when the area was developed. Cattle in the area seem to be contained and managed, yet officials have not been willing to step up and take responsibility for the protection of these horses. Much like the wild horses under the charge of the BLM and the Forest Service, these horses are guilty of not paying heed to the road signs that mark the invisible boundaries. America is in an uproar over the removal of thousands of wild horses across the west by the BLM; now comes the Dept of Ag. Will enough Americans rise up to challenge these atrocities?

One solution to save these so called "feral" wild horses is to raise funds for fencing; an expense that should have been covered with funds received by the local government during the development of the area. In the meantime, exposure and support is imperative for the sake protecting these wild horses.

Learn more