Victory for American Horses

On Sept. 7th the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503) by a vote of 263-146.

In a press release, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) stated: “I can’t stress enough how crucial the support of dedicated advocates like you has been in this long fight to close down the brutal and foreign-owned horse slaughter industry.”

Pacelle also said that citizens’ actions have also paved the way for a victory in the Senate and that the organization is closer than ever to protecting nearly 100,000 horses a year from a grim and painful end, “just so they can be turned into foreign delicacies.”

“The U.S. House voted to defeat all the poison pill amendments,” said Jake Oster, director of grassroots advocacy, Government Affairs at HSUS. “We now have to fight and make sure the U.S. Senate takes up S1915. Our opponents claimed that horses like these must be slaughtered for their own good. We don’t allow foreign-owned slaughter plants to set up shop here for dogs and cats so that their flesh can be peddled overseas.”

S1915 is the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act introduced in Oct. 2005.

HSUS is gearing up for their next round of Party Animals events which will take place Oct. 8th.

Those interested in a Lobby 101 in their area should go to hsus.org and members of the organization might come to your town.

On Sept. 6th a National Call-In Day for Horses was conducted.

HSUS held a national rally for horses Sept. 5th in Washington, D.C. and held their annual Lobby Day for Animals afterwards.

Oster said that most Americans are shocked to learn that horses are slaughtered for foreign food exports and that it is a myth that ending horse slaughter will result in unregulated and/or longer horse shipments.

Last year almost 100,000 American horses suffered and died in foreign-owned slaughterhouses so their flesh could be flown to Europe and Asia for human consumption, according to HSUS.

Current guidelines did not protect horses transported to slaughter and horse slaughter is not humane euthanasia, according to the organization’s literature.

“Horse sanctuaries are not limited and do not lack adequate care and the government will not be burdened with unwanted horses,” states the organization’s website.

According to HSUS, banning horse slaughter will not harm the environment.

For more information, email joster@hsus.org or call 202-955-3672.