"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. –Ghandi
The following is an abbreviated list of facts related to the current horse slaughter issues in America. The list is profound.
However, this list does not even begin to mention the character of each individual horse, his camaraderie with humans, his importance in our lives as friend and competitor and confidant and, of course, his extraordinary intelligence, his efforts to please us, nor does it begin to credit his remarkable sensibilities.
- State revenues, all horse-related industries and ancillary dollars are reduced by horse slaughter
- Horses are pleasure and companion animals. Their primary use is for sport and recreation.
- Horses are a fundamental essence in world history.
- Horses are an integral part of our American heritage, culture, development and history.
- Horse slaughter is violent, brutal and inhumane in all forms.
- Horse slaughter is a secret and concealed industry.
- Horses are slaughtered using inhumane, cruel methods that simply cannot be regulated for the species to become more humane.
- Horses are frequently purchased for slaughter yet there is no disclosure about this to sellers. The industry is fraught with consumer fraud and horse theft.
- Common use of drugs, including Class I pharmaceuticals, and aminogycoside antibiotics distinctly not to be administered to food animals makes horse meat potentially dangerous.
- Americans are not raising horses for the food chain.
- In America, horses are not for human consumption.
Dogs and cats have protection against slaughter and export to countries where their meat is eaten. Horses deserve this protection as well.
- Horsemen humanely euthanize their horses
- The vast majority of Americans want horse slaughter stopped. Some polls put the percentage of anti-slaughter support as high as 93.
- Most Americans would not choose horse meat as a food staple.
- Horses are not feeding the world’s population. Rather, horse meat is for those desiring to experiment, that want a delicacy or don’t care one way or the other.
- There are many religions that discourage eating horse meat. Among these are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu religions.
- Horse slaughter subsidizes, excuses and lends a blind eye to overbreeding, theft, and the unlawful and continual extermination of our wild mustangs, an American heritage.
- Horses are taxed differently than food-source animals.
The author has presented this list to readers for awareness of the ever-present seriousness of horse slaughter and as a courtesy for Save The Horses & California Equine Council.
Read the pages of Save America's Horses.
Follow this link for equine rescues listed by state: Horse World Data
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