Frenzied hooves beat against the wet cement as घोड़े of all रंग and ages file through the line. Poked with an electric prod, they are forced down the crammed alley of the Mexican horse slaughter plant. As the chute opens, the workers whistle and holler. A gray horse slips, falling to his hind legs. Panicked, he lunges आगे and takes his final steps into the "kill" box.
As the horse drops his head to smell the blood, a worker grabs his long mane and plunges a चाकू into his neck, Stunned, the horse throws his neck and, ten सेकंड्स later, is stabbed again. As the horse collapses to the ground, the workers break out in a cheer. A chain is wrapped around the hind leg of the horse—paralyzed, but not yet dead—who is then strung up to "bleed out," his throat sliced open as his दिल continues to beat.
Similar, grisly scenes play out दिन after दिन for the thousands of American घोड़े exported to Mexico and Canada to be slaughtered for human consumption in countries such as France, Italy and Japan. Until early 2007, there were three foreign-owned plants in the U.S. killing घोड़े for human consumption. Those plants have all closed due to action on the state level.
Despite these closures, the horse slaughter industry is still in business, and thousands of घोड़े endure long, hazardous journeys to slaughter plants across U.S. borders to meet the foreign demand for horse meat. Legislation now pending in Congress, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, would prevent any new horse slaughter plants from opening in the U.S. and prohibit the export of American घोड़े for slaughter for human consumption.
The Journey to Slaughter
For many horses, the journey to slaughter begins at a local livestock auction. दिखाना horses, camp and lesson horses, race horses, backyard companions, carriage horses, pregnant horses, even wild घोड़े can be standing in a खलिहान या pasture one day, and the अगला दिन find themselves loaded onto a trailer, headed for the weekly livestock auction.
Many horse owners bring their घोड़े to these auctions with the expectation that the horse will find a good home. However, the pace of the auction and the often chaotic environment gives sellers little opportunity to दिखाना off their horse's strong points, and it gives buyers little chance to assess whether a particular horse is a good fit for them. Sellers often do not realize that middlemen for foreign-owned slaughter plants—called killer buyers—frequent these auctions, looking for young, healthy घोड़े who will bring a good price at the slaughter plant.
When a horse is ridden या run loose into the auction ring, the auctioneer will quickly try to run up the bidding price. Often, killer buyers can be seen standing inside the auction ring, communicating directly with the auctioneer. At many auctions, would-be buyers include not only families looking for riding horses, but also horse rescue organizations trying to outbid killer buyers for घोड़े that they know they can rehabilitate and adopt into loving homes.
When Congress held a hearing in July 2008 on the subject of horse slaughter, dozens of equine rescues from every corner of the country wrote to the House Judiciary Committee detailing how they are routinely outbid द्वारा killer buyers at their local auctions. The continued presence of killer buyers and a legal horse slaughter industry actually precludes the rescue of horses.
Purchased द्वारा Killer Buyers
While the auction environment is stressful, confusing and dangerous for horses, once they are purchased द्वारा killer buyers, their suffering intensifies. Driven द्वारा profit, the killer buyer will cram as many घोड़े as possible onto a livestock trailer for the long journey to a feedlot, फीडलोट या foreign owned slaughter plant. As in the auction pens, no regard is दिया for the age, sex, breed या temperament of the horses. In the crowded, cramped confines of the trailer, fighting, serious injury and even death are frequent occurrences. Once the घोड़े are loaded onto trucks, they may remain there for days at a time, with no food, rest या water.
Transport to Slaughter
While some state laws prohibit the transport of घोड़े on double decker trailers (designed for shorter-necked species such as cattle and pigs), current federal regulations allow घोड़े to be transported on these trucks to any destination except directly to a slaughter plant. On these trailers, घोड़े are forced into a stooped, unnatural position, unable to maintain their balance.
Startling USDA documents obtained द्वारा the nonprofit investigative organization Animals' एंन्जल्स reveal घोड़े arriving at U.S.-based slaughter plants with horrific injuries suffered in transport. Graphic चित्रो depict घोड़े with missing and dangling eyes and legs, severe head and back injuries—even घोड़े dead on arrival. In हाल का years, there have been several horrific accidents involving घोड़े being transported to slaughter on double-decker trailers.
Even in regular trailers, long distance travel without food, water, या rest is a recipe for disaster. घोड़े who fall down या are injured en route are considered "the cost of doing business." Even under the transport regulations, घोड़े who are heavily pregnant, missing an eye या otherwise injured can be legally hauled for और than 24 hours at a time.
Arrival at the Slaughter Plant
Upon arrival at the slaughter plant, the घोड़े are unloaded into holding pens already crowded with other horses. Highly sensitive prey जानवर who are hardwired for survival, the घोड़े are keenly aware of the activities around them. They can sense the fear and suffering of the घोड़े being brutally killed inside the slaughter plant, and the smell of blood and death in the air around them. It is in these crowded holding pens that mares can give birth to foals and many घोड़े who never should have been transported to slaughter in the first place are found dead या dying due to injuries suffered in transport.
From the holding pens, घोड़े are eventually herded through narrow alleys into the "kill chutes". In some plants, a captive bolt gun is used to drive a metal rod into the horse's head to paralyze (but not kill) the horse. Because of the anatomy, behavioral patterns and strong survival instincts of the horses, it is very difficult for the untrained slaughter plant workers to accurately aim the captive bolt—leading to numerous painful blows to the horse's head and body. In other plants, the घोड़े are shot in the head before being hung द्वारा one leg to be bled out and butchered. In Mexican plants, a small boning चाकू known as a puntilla is used to stab the horse repeatedly in the spine, causing paralysis and eventual asphyxiation, but not unconsciousness. Some घोड़े are still conscious as they are bled out and dismembered.
As the horse drops his head to smell the blood, a worker grabs his long mane and plunges a चाकू into his neck, Stunned, the horse throws his neck and, ten सेकंड्स later, is stabbed again. As the horse collapses to the ground, the workers break out in a cheer. A chain is wrapped around the hind leg of the horse—paralyzed, but not yet dead—who is then strung up to "bleed out," his throat sliced open as his दिल continues to beat.
Similar, grisly scenes play out दिन after दिन for the thousands of American घोड़े exported to Mexico and Canada to be slaughtered for human consumption in countries such as France, Italy and Japan. Until early 2007, there were three foreign-owned plants in the U.S. killing घोड़े for human consumption. Those plants have all closed due to action on the state level.
Despite these closures, the horse slaughter industry is still in business, and thousands of घोड़े endure long, hazardous journeys to slaughter plants across U.S. borders to meet the foreign demand for horse meat. Legislation now pending in Congress, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, would prevent any new horse slaughter plants from opening in the U.S. and prohibit the export of American घोड़े for slaughter for human consumption.
The Journey to Slaughter
For many horses, the journey to slaughter begins at a local livestock auction. दिखाना horses, camp and lesson horses, race horses, backyard companions, carriage horses, pregnant horses, even wild घोड़े can be standing in a खलिहान या pasture one day, and the अगला दिन find themselves loaded onto a trailer, headed for the weekly livestock auction.
Many horse owners bring their घोड़े to these auctions with the expectation that the horse will find a good home. However, the pace of the auction and the often chaotic environment gives sellers little opportunity to दिखाना off their horse's strong points, and it gives buyers little chance to assess whether a particular horse is a good fit for them. Sellers often do not realize that middlemen for foreign-owned slaughter plants—called killer buyers—frequent these auctions, looking for young, healthy घोड़े who will bring a good price at the slaughter plant.
When a horse is ridden या run loose into the auction ring, the auctioneer will quickly try to run up the bidding price. Often, killer buyers can be seen standing inside the auction ring, communicating directly with the auctioneer. At many auctions, would-be buyers include not only families looking for riding horses, but also horse rescue organizations trying to outbid killer buyers for घोड़े that they know they can rehabilitate and adopt into loving homes.
When Congress held a hearing in July 2008 on the subject of horse slaughter, dozens of equine rescues from every corner of the country wrote to the House Judiciary Committee detailing how they are routinely outbid द्वारा killer buyers at their local auctions. The continued presence of killer buyers and a legal horse slaughter industry actually precludes the rescue of horses.
Purchased द्वारा Killer Buyers
While the auction environment is stressful, confusing and dangerous for horses, once they are purchased द्वारा killer buyers, their suffering intensifies. Driven द्वारा profit, the killer buyer will cram as many घोड़े as possible onto a livestock trailer for the long journey to a feedlot, फीडलोट या foreign owned slaughter plant. As in the auction pens, no regard is दिया for the age, sex, breed या temperament of the horses. In the crowded, cramped confines of the trailer, fighting, serious injury and even death are frequent occurrences. Once the घोड़े are loaded onto trucks, they may remain there for days at a time, with no food, rest या water.
Transport to Slaughter
While some state laws prohibit the transport of घोड़े on double decker trailers (designed for shorter-necked species such as cattle and pigs), current federal regulations allow घोड़े to be transported on these trucks to any destination except directly to a slaughter plant. On these trailers, घोड़े are forced into a stooped, unnatural position, unable to maintain their balance.
Startling USDA documents obtained द्वारा the nonprofit investigative organization Animals' एंन्जल्स reveal घोड़े arriving at U.S.-based slaughter plants with horrific injuries suffered in transport. Graphic चित्रो depict घोड़े with missing and dangling eyes and legs, severe head and back injuries—even घोड़े dead on arrival. In हाल का years, there have been several horrific accidents involving घोड़े being transported to slaughter on double-decker trailers.
Even in regular trailers, long distance travel without food, water, या rest is a recipe for disaster. घोड़े who fall down या are injured en route are considered "the cost of doing business." Even under the transport regulations, घोड़े who are heavily pregnant, missing an eye या otherwise injured can be legally hauled for और than 24 hours at a time.
Arrival at the Slaughter Plant
Upon arrival at the slaughter plant, the घोड़े are unloaded into holding pens already crowded with other horses. Highly sensitive prey जानवर who are hardwired for survival, the घोड़े are keenly aware of the activities around them. They can sense the fear and suffering of the घोड़े being brutally killed inside the slaughter plant, and the smell of blood and death in the air around them. It is in these crowded holding pens that mares can give birth to foals and many घोड़े who never should have been transported to slaughter in the first place are found dead या dying due to injuries suffered in transport.
From the holding pens, घोड़े are eventually herded through narrow alleys into the "kill chutes". In some plants, a captive bolt gun is used to drive a metal rod into the horse's head to paralyze (but not kill) the horse. Because of the anatomy, behavioral patterns and strong survival instincts of the horses, it is very difficult for the untrained slaughter plant workers to accurately aim the captive bolt—leading to numerous painful blows to the horse's head and body. In other plants, the घोड़े are shot in the head before being hung द्वारा one leg to be bled out and butchered. In Mexican plants, a small boning चाकू known as a puntilla is used to stab the horse repeatedly in the spine, causing paralysis and eventual asphyxiation, but not unconsciousness. Some घोड़े are still conscious as they are bled out and dismembered.