Horse Slaughter and Neglect: 2009

Feb 5, 2009

Idaho: Dead horses dumped on public land

Disturbing news from southwestern Idaho this week:

Dead horses found dumped with brands cut off [link]
05:21 PM MST on Thursday, February 5, 2009
KTVB.COM with NewsChannel 7’s Ysabel Bilbao

Horse owners can't afford to feed them

BOISE - Someone is leaving domestic horses on public land, without a way for the animals to eat or survive.

The latest case involved 15 dead horses dumped on Bureau of Land Management property in Gem County in the past few weeks. BLM officials say the animals were found dead about six miles southwest of Emmett near County Line Road. The animals were found with the brand cut off the carcasses so their owner could not be identified.

Overall, the BLM says 32 horses have been left dead or let loose on public land across southwestern Idaho recently. A BLM law enforcement ranger speculated that increasing hay prices and decreased demand for horses have left owners unable to pay to feed the horses, and unable to sell them - so instead they are illegally releasing them on public land.

"It's kind of a hard time for some individuals... with the price of hay even though it's starting to go down," BLM Law Enforcement Ranger Lee Kliman said. "The economic times are harder, it's hard to sell horses, it's hard for a lot of individuals to find homes for horses."

The horses are domesticated and cannot fend for themselves in the wild.

Anyone found responsible could be charged on the federal level with unlawful commercial dumping, and on the state level with dumping of horses. The charges come with a $100,000 fine.

In the Gem County case, the Bureau of Land Management is working with the Gem County Sheriff's Office to determine who is responsible for the illegal dumping.

And just yesterday, someone was trying to convince me that there's no such thing as "unwanted horses" ... that there was no "hard data" ... so, what exactly are 15 carcasses, then?

Purpose:

There is a national equine crisis: daily news reports of abandoned, neglected, malnourished horses. While the cost of ownership has doubled or even tripled, the resale value of many horses has been reduced to less than half.

I believe horse slaughter is not only a necessary option for dealing with a critical overpopulation of unwanted horses, but also not evil—it is hypocritical to eat a cow or pig, and condemn those who would eat a horse instead.

I welcome all comments, from those who disagree as well as those who agree. Be respectful to your fellow human.

All Horses—www.allhorses.us

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By the numbers:

In 1999, there were about 5 million horses in the U.S. Within 8 years, that number increased to 9 million.
One third of horse owners have an annual household income of $50,000 or less.
Estimates vary, but around 100,000 a year met their end in slaughterhouses that are now closed.

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Horse Slaughter and Neglect

Mar 31, 2009

All Horses

Feb 5, 2009

Idaho: Dead horses dumped on public land

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