A couple of notes to preface the Huffington Post article below:
Regarding Russian-American company OOO Rancho Khasan: “On Nov. 1, Anatoli Lebedev, the organization’s co-founder, wrote: ‘[F]or marketing we need a very clear picture ― how are we able to extract some horses for meat from the whole herd … without hurting hearts of animal rights activists, who trusted us?’”
Wild Family in Salt Wells Creek before being rounded up
Right now, Congress is working on the 2018 Spending Bill that will determine the fate of wild horses and burros in the United States. This wild horse family above which was rounded up in October in addition to the 45,000 other wild horses currently held in holding facilities imminently face possible killing or slaughter.
Your Representatives and Senators, who are supposed to be representing you, need to hear from you right now to make sure that wild horses and burros remain protected from killing and slaughter once the spending bill is voted upon and becomes final.
Please call your Senators and Representatives and tell them:
“Please work with leadership in Congress to make sure that the final 2018 spending bill protects America’s wild horses and burros from mass killing and slaughter. Please protect wild horses and burros and work to humanely manage them on our public lands. Please do not allow horse slaughter plants to be opened in the United States.”
To find out more about Wild Horse Freedom Federation and our work to keep wild horses and burros wild and free on our public lands visit www.WildHorseFreedomFederation.org
by Debbie Coffey, V.P. & Dir. of Wild Horse Affairs, Wild Horse Freedom Federation
ACTION ALERT! Public comments are due Jan. 5, 2018.
In the BLM’s rush to drive wild horses to extinction, the BLM plans to remove ALL wild horses from the Caliente Herd Area Complex. The BLM claims that the Caliente Herd Area Complex has an estimated population of 1,744 wild horses (including the 2017 foal crop).
The Caliente Herd Complex Area consists of nine herd areas; Applewhite, Blue Nose Peak, Clover Creek, Clover Mountains, Delamar Mountains, Little Mountain, Meadow Valley Mountains, Miller Flat, and Mormon Mountains.
The 30-day public comment period concludes Jan. 5, 2018.
Please be sure to mail or email your written comments to:
Bureau of Land Management Ely District Office
Attention: Ben Noyes, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist
702 N. Industrial Way
Ely, NV 89301
Utah State University Wildland Resources Professor Terry Messmer
by Debbie Coffey, V.P. & Dir. of Wild Horse Affairs, Wild Horse Freedom Federation
The National Horse and Burro Rangeland Management Coalition, chaired by The Wildlife Society (TWS), concluded their secretive, closed-to-the-public “Slaughter Summit” co-hosted by the Utah State University and the state of Utah. The organizer of this Summit, Utah State University Wildland Resources Professor Terry Messmer, is heavily associated with The Wildlife Society, an organization that is pushing for the slaughter of wild horses and burros.
“While closed meetings are sometimes considered anathema to scientific debate, Messmer defended the secrecy as a necessary precaution in the face of threats against some of the participants, including filmmaker Ben Masters. Other speakers regarded as anti-horse partisans are Beaver County Commissioner Tammy Pearson and attorney Frank Falen, whose Cheyenne, Wyo., law firm has repeatedly sued the BLM over horse management and other issues on behalf of ranchers.
‘We’ve got over 50 organizations represented, including three leading horse advocate groups that are part of the registration,’ Messmer said. He named the American Mustang Association, the American Mustang Foundation and the Wild Mustang Foundation.”More
On the Bureau of Land Management’s new website, on the Program Data page for the Wild Horse & Burro Program (under the Wild Horse and Burro Sales to Private Care tab), the BLM claims “It has been and remains the policy of the BLM, despite the unrestricted sales authority of the Burns Amendment, NOT to sell or send any wild horses or burros to slaughterhouses or to “kill buyers.”
The BLM claims “Wild Horses and Burros Sold to Good Homes” but then includes a total of 402 wild horses and burros sold in Fiscal Year 2012. (In this 402 total, 320 were horses and 82 were burros.)
BLM sale logs obtained by us in Freedom of Information Act requests indicate that in Fiscal Year 2012, the BLM sold 239 wild horses (almost 80% of the 320 horses that were sold) to kill buyer Tom Davis of La Jara, CO. Many, if not all, of these wild horses went to slaughter in Mexico.
Does this look like a “good home” to you?
BLM states it has a policy not to sell wild horses and burros to kill buyers, but: More
You can also listen to the show on your phone by calling (917) 388-4520.
You can call in with questions during the 2nd half hour, by dialing (917) 388-4520, then pressing 1.
This show will be archived so you can listen to it anytime.
Nancy Watson on the Mall in Washington D.C.
Our guest tonight is Nancy Watson, President of SAFE Food SAFE Horses Coalition, representing 1.75 million members in support of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act from coalition partners. Nancy was raised in a Standardbred racing family, and immersed herself in advocating for a ban on horse slaughter after she learned that the fiscal budget had been altered to allow for USDA inspections of horse slaughter facilities in the U.S. in 2011. More
or listen to the show live on your phone by calling (917) 388-4520.
This is a one and a half hour show. It will be archived so you can listen to it anytime.
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Our guests Wednesday night are the Board of Directors of Wild Horse Freedom Federation (R.T. and Terry Fitch, Carol Walker, Marjorie Farabee, Dawn Reveley and Debbie Coffey), along with special guests John Holland, President of Equine Welfare Alliance, Ginger Kathrens,
photo by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
An investigation carried out in cooperation with Tierschutzbund Zuerich/Animal Welfare Foundation
Photo: Horse showing strong signs of fear
Uruguay is a small country but nevertheless has an estimated population of approximately 500,000 horses. More than 37,000 horses were slaughtered in 2014 so the meat could be exported. Like people in the U.S., Uruguayans do not consume horsemeat; they consider horses as companion, sport and work animals. Horses are not commercially bred for meat production and there is no traceability regarding drugs that have been administered to the horse during its lifetime. The last owner of the horse simply has to sign an affidavit and confirm that the horse has not been given any restricted substances during the last 6 months. In addition, Phenylbutazone and many other drugs can be readily purchased without prescription for owners to administer to their horses. Uruguayan law also mandates that sport horses are specifically excluded from slaughter for human consumption, but it remains uncertain if this is truly the case.
or listen to the show live on your phone by calling (917) 388-4520.
You can call in with questions during the 2nd half hour of the show by dialing (917) 388-4520, then pressing 1.
This is a 1 hour show. It will be archived so you can listen to it anytime.
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Our guest tonight is Sinikka Crosland, Exec. Dir. of Canadian Horse Defence Coalition, people and national groups that have joined together to ban the slaughter of equines for human consumption in Canada, as well as the export of live horses to other countries for the same purpose.
Sinikka will talk about horse slaughter in Canada, and the 7,000 horses transported live by air from Canada to Japan each year for slaughter. 3 or 4 large horses are crammed in wooden crates with little room to move around, let alone lie down to rest. No food or water is provided during the grueling journey to another continent. Canadian legislation permits horses to be transported without food and water for up to 36 hours, but sometimes, due to flight delays, the 36-hour period is breached.
The carrier responsible for shipping these horses to their deaths is Atlas Air, Inc., based in Purchase, New York.
The Truth About Horse Slaughter in Canada (WARNING: this video contains GRAPHIC SCENES):
However, the Department of Justice (DoJ) only issued a letter of declination. A declination decision is generally viewed to mean that the DoJ , in the exercise of its prosecutorial discretion, declines to prosecute or bring an enforcement action.
So, the issue of a current BLM contractor selling wild horses to a kill buyer, most likely for slaughter, was just swept under the rug.More
Well known Nevada Kill Buyer ships 224 Stallions to Dennis Chavez!
Animals’ Angels has received confirmation that on January 15, 2015, Ole Olson transported 224 stallions to the New Mexico’s largest and most notorious kill buyer Dennis Chavez. Records obtained from the New Mexico Livestock Board indicate that the agency inspected the 224 stallions and 64 mares at the Los Lunas Feedlot.
While it cannot be confirmed that these horses are indeed a part of the Dann Sister herd, it is possible. However, regardless of the origin of these horses, it is important to question how these stallions were shipped. The Commercial Transport of Equines to Slaughter Regulations require that every stallion is segregated inside the trailer to avoid fighting and the risk of injuries. Given the fact that Olson shipped 224 stallions, it is unlikely that this requirement has been met.
One can only imagine the chaos inside the trailers with so many stallions packed together fighting for dominance. The risks for injury during slaughter horse transport is always great but given the sheer number of stallions Olson was transporting, the danger for grave and debilitating injuries, not to mention the horrific distress, would have been tremendous.According to the New Mexico Livestock Board’s inspection form, the horses were consigned to Dennis Chavez – we’re all too familiar with his operation, so we know where these horses are potentially headed and the conditions under which they may suffer at his feedlot. While the horses may be sold at his auction, it is also possible that they will end up in Mexico. It remains to be seen if Chavez will trouble himself with gelding the stallions (a requirement if he wanted to export them as slaughter horses), or if he will ship them straight to Mexico labeled as “work horses”.AA investigators have seen the sad results of Chavez’ clumsy gelding procedures during previous feedlot visits; yet another reason our heart goes out to these poor souls caught in the pipeline. While we continue to keep an eye on Dennis Chavez and his Southwest Livestock Auction for abuses that can be reported to the authorities, we are also going to take measures to hold Ole Olson accountable for the recent shipments. Animals’ Angels has filed a complaint with the USDA and has urged IES to launch an investigation into the true purpose of these transports and the final destination for these stallions.
We, at Equine Advocates, are pleased to share with you the tenth video from our 2014 American Equine Summit featuring Debbie Coffey, Vice President and Director of Wild Horse Affairs at Wild Horse Freedom Federation. Debbie’s talk is titled “The Bureau of Land Management’s MISMANAGEMENT of Wild Horses & Burros.” Please see Debbie’s bio at http://www.equineadvocates.org/video….
I hope that everyone notes this same story is being played out all over the world. The petition to stop the culling of the less than 1,000 wild horses remaining in Alberta, Canada needs signatures. We’re asking our readers to help out and sign this:
It is believed that there are blood lines in the wild horses, dating back to the Spanish Barb, or even ancient blood lines. If those rare blood lines are removed indiscriminately in a cull, they will be lost forever. Canada and the world will lose a unique heritage animal. Biologists, photographers, tourists and future generations will lose the opportunity to study and experience these rare wild horses (often referred to as Wildies).
According to the Alberta government there’s less than 1000 horses remaining, in an area of 8500 sq km. Despite these low numbers, they claim there are too many horses competing with the much larger cattle and forestry industries on Crown land. The government manages them via an annual capture and cull process which separates family units, weakens the herds and further threatens their survival. Imagine the fear these wild horses experience during their capture, transport and slaughter.
An icon of the Canadian west, these beautiful horses played an important role in the settlement of this country. They helped the First Nations as well as the RCMP. During the great World War, many were rounded up to serve alongside our Military, and never returned home. Portrayed in numerous movies, books, songs, paintings, photography and TV, they are a beloved part of our history, past, present and future.
The text of the petition states:
To: Alberta Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resources Robin Campbell
and Alberta Minister of Tourism–Richard Starke
As a concerned citizen, I’m writing to urge you to support a moratorium on the cull of Alberta’s wild horses. Annually the ESRD (Environment & Sustainable Resource Department) has a capture program on Crown land under the Stray Act.
Please seriously consider the value these magnificent horses have as a tourist attraction. They’ve been here for centuries, it’s believed they have rare blood lines of the Spanish Barb, and they’re a unique Alberta icon. Like the wild horses of Sable Island and Namib, Alberta’s are gaining global interest and attention. Canada’s Sable Island wild horses generate economic income from the many conservationists, artists, biologists and general public who make the costly trip to see, study and photograph them. On the other hand, Alberta’s wild horses are captured and most are sent to slaughter, a decision heavily influenced by the cattle and forestry industry.
Will you support a moratorium on the annual capture and cull of Alberta’s wild horses? They’ve earned their right to live with their herds in their natural habitat and to be protected.
This is an invitation to a night you will never forget when you see the sky come alive in beautiful light that honors the lives of so many cherished animals. Listen to the stories of people whose love for animals have no bounds…share your own.
“The symbol is so beautiful. The work Animals’ Angels does is vitally important.” – Melody H.
“Thank you, Animals’ Angels for the truth you bring to us. We need you!” – Anne S. M.
Animals’ Angels employees and friends will meet on this night with thousands of candles to Light the Sky for the animals—to symbolically alleviate suffering by casting a collective light against the darkness. This is a heartfelt opportunity to reflect upon our humanity and our respect and concern for the animals, and the conditions of their lives. It is all of us, coming together on a beautiful night to proclaim our message of hope and commitment.
Light the Sky is also a time when our investigators remember the animals who have touched their lives during 2013—the many horses, cows, calves, pigs, sheep, goats, chicken, turkeys, and dogs they met at auctions, feedlots and, slaughter plants. And it is a time to renew our resolve to never forget them.
We hope you will take part in this night with a small donation of $5 per candle. We would be honored to include your personal message and light your Candle(s) of Hope.
How it Works
Please register today and secure your personal candle. Share with us for whom you want to light a candle, and your story or personal message of hope.
During the event, all the flyers and photos will adorn the “Tree of Hope”. We will light all the candles donated –our goal is 6,000! Proceeds will be used to help finance 2014 investigations.
Animals’ Angels work is possible because of you, your candle, and your support. AA investigators are “there with the animals” to fight cruelty and improve lives—thanks so much to you.
Flashback to September 21, 2012. It’s 92 degrees on a Friday afternoon, and four slaughter transport trucks are packed full waiting to cross the border into Mexico. Two horses go down inside one of the trailers. One recovers its footing, while the other gets trampled by the horses around it. Animals’ Angels investigators attempt to communicate with the driver, but he doesn’t speak English. More
By Debbie Coffey Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved.
In memory of the late Dr. Patricia Haight, who worked hard for the Conquistador Program, I decided to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request based on some records she managed to obtain via her FOIA request. More
Did you know that Argentina is the largest exporter of horsemeat in the world?
Animals’ Angels has remained dedicated to the horses and the fight to end horse slaughter. We were gratified that the amendments to defund USDA inspections at horse slaughter plants passed the House & Senate Appropriations Committees last week. However, our horses remain in danger. They can still be transported into Canada and Mexico for slaughter. We are hopeful that the SAFE Act will pass which would help to ensure the safety of our horses. However, we cannot slow down while waiting for this legislation to get passed. The momentum against horse slaughter must continue unabated.
There is no doubt that spreading awareness affects the choices of the primary consumer of horsemeat – we maintain that if we can end the demand, the supply aspect naturally dries up as well. Our expose that aired in Mexico, like the reports that aired previously on Swiss TV have created a firestorm of interest and outrage against the horse slaughter industry and have already had a widespread impact. (EU Campaign) However, the fight is far from over.
Animals’ Angels EU consumer awareness campaign continues and a follow up investigation at slaughter plants in Argentina was conducted. If we want to end the demand for horsemeat, it’s imperative that these issues remain in the forefront of the consumer’s mind.
Equinox, one of Europe’s largest horsemeat importers is the owner or co-owner of the horse slaughter plants Lamar and Indio Pampa, located in the Buenos Aires area. Both of these slaughter plants are approved by the EU to export meat to the European Union.
It should be noted that Equinox also imports meat from the Viande Richelieu plant in Canada as well as the Empacadora de Carnes de Fresnillo plant in Mexico. US horses are shipped for slaughter to both of these locations.
In 2010, the Belgian animal welfare organization GAIA investigated the Lamar and the Indio Pampa plants and documented horrible conditions. The photos below indicate the abuses found during this investigation.
Horse with horrific injury
The aim of our recent investigation was to determine if conditions had improved since 2010 and whether or not these plants were now in full compliance with EU regulations. More
CHATHAM, N.Y., March 27, 2013 –The 2013 Annual American Equine Summit will take place Saturday, April 27 – Sunday, April 28 at Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary in Chatham, NY. This Summit will unite the equine community’s foremost experts to speak about how to end horse slaughter which, although opposed by more than 80% of Americans, is now legal in the U.S.
Said Susan Wagner, founder/president of Equine Advocates, “Horse slaughter goes against our very culture. The outcry in Europe over horsemeat invading their mainstream food chain is a cautionary tale for what could happen here. This unethical and unsavory practice exists because a small group of special interests within the horse industry want a way to dispose of inconvenient equines quickly and for profit, rather than take responsibility for them. It’s downright un-American and must be banned.”Some of the distinguished speakers coming from across the country to participate in the Summit include:
•Patricia M. Hogan, VMD, ACVS (New Jersey): World-renowned equine surgeon will discuss the negative effects horse slaughter has on the racing industry.
•Ann Marini, Ph.D., M.D. (Maryland): Award-winning physician will discuss her ground-breaking study on the dangers of the drug Phenylbutazone found in horses sold for human consumption.
•U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson (R-NY): will discuss H.R. 1094, the Safeguard American Food Exports Act (SAFE).
•John Holland (Virginia): Equine Welfare Alliance President will speak about understanding the forces behind horse slaughter.
•R.T. Fitch (Texas): “Straight From the Horse’s Heart” author and blogger on the BLM’s agenda to destroy America’s Wild Horse and Burro Herds.
•Paula Bacon (Texas) Former Mayor of Kaufman, TX and Vickery Eckhoff (New York), Forbes.com writer, on the issues and impact of opening a horse slaughterhouse.
•Victoria McCullough (Florida), Horse advocate/Chairwoman of Chesapeake Petroleum and Florida State Senator Joseph Abruzzo will discuss how horse slaughter impacts food safety in the U.S. and Europe. More
If you were able to view THE VIDEO POSTED BY TIM SAPPINGTON of Dexter, NM, who may no longer be employed by the Valley Meat Company in Roswell, New Mexico (which is attempting to become one of the first horse slaughter plants to re-open in the U.S. since 2007) you most likely were sickened by the sheer cruelty of Sappington’s actions.
Obviously, Sappington thought those who saw the video of him mecilessly shooting a horse in the head for no reason whatsoever, would be impressed with his self-perceived manliness. Instead, viewers saw a coward; a weak little man with no compassion whatsoever.
Join us as we discuss the disgusting Mr. Sappington and give us your thoughts on the video and what should happen as a result.
Also:
Horse slaughter plants re-opening in the U.S, the European horse meat scandal and other issues during a special 2 hour radio broadcast.
The pro-horse slaughter shot heard around the world… Don’t let this gutless coward hide!
Many of us have already viewed a video posted on youtube, seemingly by Tim Sappington, who is employed by the Valley Meat Company in Roswell, New Mexico…..
(which is attempting to become one of the first horse slaughter plants to re-open in the U.S. since 2007), which captures an act that should bring shame to the cities of Roswell (where Tim Sappington works) and Dexter (where Tim Sappington seems to reside) and to the state of New Mexico.
Don’t let a coward hide, or let Tim Sappington’s actions go unnoticed, especially in his communities. His video shows a mindset that should frighten communities and put communities who might condone this attitude on alert that this is a shot being heard around the world, and this will adversely affect their economies, especially tourism.
Below are some suggested comments for a letter (write your own personal comments, but please be polite) to be sent to community and government leaders (who are listed below): More
Animals’ Angels investigators observed harsh conditions in EU approved Mexican slaughterhouses during an intensive investigation conducted in September 2012. The goal of this follow up investigation was to check if any improvements had been made since the 2007/2008 investigations had revealed abhorrent conditions. Animal welfare investigators are accustomed to observing the most egregious treatment of animals. Even the slightest improvements are welcome, but do not bring a cease fire to the battle for humane treatment of all animals transported to slaughter.
EU inspections of Mexican slaughter houses are scheduled in advance, clearly giving notice to the slaughterhouses to comply with regulations on that one day of inspection.
Animals’ Angels arrived unannounced at several of the EU approved plants as they observed multiple trucks carrying horses from the US to slaughter. Horses were jammed into transport trailers, resulting in biting and fighting among them. The common use of trailers with no roof is cruel as the intensive sun in the transport areas beats down upon horses already over-heated due to over-crowding and long waiting times inside parked trailers at US broker offices and the border. (Please read more about this issue here…) Animals’ Angels works to improve conditions for farm animals. We closely cooperate with law enforcement and government agencies to fight animal cruelty. Our investigators are out in the field nationwide, visiting auctions, feedlots and slaughter plants.
Award winning Cinematographer Ginger Kathrens to join author R.T. Fitch and noted equine advocate Simone Netherlands in a wild horse and burro advocates press conference on October 29th during opening day of BLM’s Advisory Board Meeting.
Salt Lake City, UT (October 27, 2012) – The Cloud Foundation, Respect4Horses and Wild Horse Freedom Federation will hold a special press conference on the current state of America’s mismanaged wild horses and burros. The groups are calling for a halt to all Bureau of Land Management (BLM) roundups that are destroying the last of America’s wild herds at enormous and escalating taxpayer expense and an immediate investigation into credible allegations where stockpiled wild horses and burros are being sold to known kill buyers for eventual slaughter for human consumption abroad.
The media and the interested public are encouraged to attend this public press conference at the Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown (215 West South Temple) from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on Monday, October 29th, 2012. The public press event will take place on the opening day of the BLM’s controversial Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meeting occurring, likewise, at the Radisson Hotel.
Currently the BLM has scheduled massive roundups of wild horses and burros throughout the remainder of this calendar year. Remnant herds of wild horses and burros live in 10 western states, including Utah, but their future is tenuous. The agency responsible for their protection and preservation, the BLM, is managing them to extinction. While the cruel and costly roundups continue, the BLM has no idea how many wild horses remain in the wild while pumping tens of thousands of captured wild horses and burros into both short and long term holding facilities. To date the BLM has stockpiled more than 48,000 + wild horses and burros in costly government holding, leaving millions of acres of legally designated wild horse and burro ranges empty. More
Jerry Finch, President Habitat for Horses, 866-434-5737
Wild Horse Letters to the President Swell in Support
Equine Welfare Groups Join in Asking Obama to Stop the Roundups
HOUSTON, (WHFF) – Wild Horse Freedom Federation’s letter writing campaign to President Obama asking him to declare a moratorium on the accelerated Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) roundups of federally protected wild horses and burros on public land has been joined and now supported by Habitat for Horses (HfH) and the Cloud Foundation (TCF).
Last month volunteer president of WHFF, R.T. Fitch, challenged the American public to write letters to the President asking him to stop the roundups so that an accurate accounting of horses on the range could take place and alternative management techniques could be applied. In return Fitch and his wife Terry agreed that they would, personally, hand carry the letters to D.C. and ensure that they reached President Obama.
Virginia Congressman Jim Moran offered to facilitate the delivery of the letters to the White House upon their receipt in D.C. and with his office’s backing the momentum for the campaign has blossomed to include the support and letters from HfH, TCF and thousands of Americans.
“This started out as a campaign where an average American couple would bring the letters of other outraged tax payers to the President for review,” says Fitch,“but over the last month it has taken on a life of it’s own and shows exactly how upset and troubled the American public is over the destruction of the last, few remaining herds of wild horses and burros on their rightful lands.” More
