Re: Horse slaughter

[Kenzie_Kelly@spc.com]

Bette Lamore" <woa@stormnet.com> wrote:

<<I hope you're saying that it is wrong to send ANY animal to slaughter
in a cruel fashion and I have to agree 100%. I didn't eat veal for 10
years and supported FACT. The laws were changed and calves can no longer
be raised in a wooden box which allows for no movement. Now FACT is
taking on other animal practices, such as chickens, and I am all for it.
And I believe all of us are. Hey, there is nothing wrong in my mind with
eating an animal or plant (didn't anyone else read Stranger in a Strange
Land?? It's called "grokking" (TIC). It's the method by which any animal
is treated prior to death. I don't believe anyone on ridecamp who enjoys
nature and our horses as much as we do, wants to see any animal suffer.
That is not called tree hugging; that is called humanity and is what
separates us from the animals (who very often are kinder than us, I am
unhappy to say). Instead of debating how to dispose of our horses, we
simply need to lobby for better treatment until the point of death,
whatever the ultimate destination of the carcass--- which is just that.
Bette>>


     Bette,

     Yes, I think shipping practices for all meat animals should be
     improved.  But the point I was trying to make is that the argument
     about shipping treatment is also clouded by the way we think about our
     horses.  The people arguing (rightly!  no flames please!) that we
     should have closer, local slaughter houses to ease the suffering of
     horses that must be destroyed (for whatever reason) probably don't
     spend a moment's thought on how far the cow with a broken leg has to
     travel to be slaughtered.

     Granted, there are more slaughter houses for other meat animals than
     there are for horses, but 2 miles can be a long journey for a
     suffering animal who is forced to ride crammed in with another 40
     head.  It would be interesting to know how many slaughter houses there
     are in the US, and formulate an average range for each one.

     I wish I could remember where I read this, but an article recently
     interviewed a man who had a feed lot for horses bound for slaughter.
     He made some excellent points.  One that sticks out was that he said
     he tried to make the last trip in the trailer as humane and
     unobtrusive to the animals as possible.  Not out of any moral reason,
     but because if the horse arrived at the slaughter house damaged
     (kicked, bit, etc.) it lowered the price he received - if they didn't
     reject the carcass which they were quick to do.  This stuck out
     because although your price for a damaged cow will be less, cattle
     yards rarely reject a carcass.

     He also made the point that if there weren't any slaughter houses
     taking horses, we would have a massive overpopulation problem on our
     hands.  You can't change social taboos - most americans will always
     feel that killing Trigger for his meat is wrong.  But there should be
     viable, humane, readily accessible alternative euthanasia practices
     for the people (tic) and horses that need them.

     Kenzie & Zane
     Birmingham, AL
     http://kenzie_k.tripod.com/zane.html