Disturbing Horse Cruelty Case Lands Temecula Area Couple Work Release, Probation Terms

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“This just pisses me off! Pitiful sentence; anyone who can neglect such a regal & loyal animal as a horse…does not deserve the right to own & abuse another one…PERIOD!!! The fly mask was probably put on to obscure the severe skin ailment. It wasn’t just the hair loss, the horse was very skinny too; this poor horse must have been going mad through itching! BUT NO EXCUSE FOR LACK OF FOOD, THAT’S JUST CRUEL & LAZY!!”

By June 28, 2016 5:50 pm ET

“I could see her spine, hip bones and rib cage. Her entire body was covered with a severe skin ailment causing hair loss, crusty patches.”

Skinny horse –Temecula, CA

Temecula, CA – A local couple who didn’t properly care for their mare have been sentenced to work release custody and probation in Riverside County Superior Court, officials said Tuesday.

According to to John Hall of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, 56-year-old Charity Wilson was convicted of the more severe charges of the duo, including felony animal cruelty and a misdemeanor of keeping an animal without proper care. Daryl Willliams, 51, was convicted of the same misdemeanor charge, but the jury was hung on the felony charge against him.

The case goes back to August 2013, when Riverside County Animal Services got word of a “skinny horse with a skin condition” at a property in the 44000 block of De Portola Road in the unincorporated Temecula area, according to John Welsh of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

“I observed an emaciated chestnut-colored Arabian mare in a corral,” Riverside County Animal Services Sgt. Lesley Huennekens wrote in her declaration in support of an arrest warrant upon visiting the property. “I could see her spine, hip bones and rib cage. Her entire body was covered with a severe skin ailment causing hair loss, crusty patches of skin and stocking (swelling) up in her hind legs.”

Animal Services told the couple to get the horse examined by a veterinarian, but the woman told them she was treating the animal herself, Welsh said. ”

“Ultimately, the horse was relocated and proper veterinary records were never supplied to Riverside County,” he said. “The horse was later found in October 2013 at a Winchester property, and Riverside County seized the horse. The seizure was later ruled justified by a hearing officer.”

About a month later, on Oct. 24, 2013, the horse was euthanized and taken to a state lab for testing, according to Welsh. It was then that he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called pemphigus foliaceus.

This image shows the horse’s skin disorder. Courtesy: Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

“The horse was described as being in poor nutritional condition with a body score of 3.5 out of 9,” Welsh said. “The lab report indicated that her poor body condition was likely due to, at least in part, a consequence of the severe, often pruritic (itchy) and/or painful skin disease.”

“It was a shame that this horse went so long without medical care and deteriorated to the state where it needed to be euthanized,” Riverside County Chief Veterinarian Dr. Allan Drusys said.

According to the DA’s office, Wilson was sentenced to 120 days in a work release program and three years of formal probation. She is not allowed to own a horse for 10 years.

Williams was also sentenced to work release, for 90 days, the DA’s office said. He’s not allowed to own a horse for five years.

“We are pleased with the judge’s sentencing,” Huennekens said. “This couple never considered what was best for this poor horse. They tried to hide the horse from us – but we found her. Ending her suffering was a humane act, and seeing her abusers get convicted was a just conclusion to this sad case.”

News Link:http://patch.com/california/temecula/disturbing-horse-cruelty-case-lands-temecula-area-couple-work-release-terms

Horses Hooves Not Trimmed For 15 years – Grow to 3 Feet Long

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“OMG…can you believe the picture below?? I’ve only seen hooves like that once before; on a dead horse!! How can the owner have let them get into such a state they could barely move? It’s not like their so skinny they haven’t been fed, ok not a lot of food, but somebody had to have been giving them something; they couldn’t have lived to their ages without any food or water!! I just can’t understand how anyone, even someone with no knowledge of horses at all, is that dumb, to think it’s ok to just leave them! The poor horses must have been agony, any horsey person knows to keep a horse fit & pain free, a farrier is God; horses hooves need trimming between 6-8 weeks it varies; even if they don’t have shoes on, they still need to be trimmed!!

“I just pray whoever owns these horses, get what they deserve; in this instance prison without probation, along with having to pay in full, all vet & farrier bills. It’s going to take a lot of work from a very good farrier to get their hooves back into shape….but even if they do, the horses may be unfit to ride; due to irreversible damage to the structure of their hooves. I’m just in shock & have nothing but utter disgust at the owner’s blatant abuse & disregard for the health & welfare of these poor innocent horses!! R.I.P little one. Many thanks to (http://www.defhr.org/)USA for taking care of these equine!”

By Charlotte Ricca-Smith on 25th-Aug-2015

‘Critical condition’

The emaciated animals were discovered standing knee-deep in muck and with hooves more than three feet long. 

A miniature mare had to be euthanised at the scene due, because ruptured ligaments had caused the fetlocks to dislocate. The two others – one a full-sized stallion and one a miniature stallion ­– were in a ‘critical condition’.

“It’s the worst we’ve seen in our 26-year history,” Caroline Robertson, the development director of Days End Farm Horse Rescue told Caroll County Times. “They could barely move without being at risk of getting tangled in their own hooves.”

Three neglected horses have been found, with feet so overgrown it is believed they were locked up for at least 15 years.

Hooves removed

Before the horses could be removed from the scene, they had to be sedated so they could lie down and have the excess hoof removed. They were then taken to Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR) in Maryland, (http://www.defhr.org/)USA for rehabilitation.

The horses were discovered when a member of the public called the Humane Society of Washington County with concerns about pet pigeons kept there. It was during the welfare inspection that the equines were found.

‘Long road’

Both horses have been aged at around 18. The horse has been called Quest, while the surviving pony has been named Rio. Both have received further treatment from a farrier and vet and are now on the “long road” to rehabilitation.

An investigation into the case is on-going and cruelty charges could be brought.“Never mind could be…they definitely should be!!”

Days End Farm Horse Rescue is a non-profit organisation which currently provides rehabilitation and ongoing care for 78 rescue horses

News Link:http://www.horseandcountry.tv/news/2015/08/25/horses-hooves-not-trimmed-15-years

 

Graphic Video: Animal’s Angels Capture What Horses Go Through Before They Even Get To Slaughter!

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“Please share the video below with everybody you know! Most country’s were built on the back of horses & this is how they are repaid…it’s Fxxxxxg disgusting!!” 

“Please support all horse welfare charities that are trying to stop the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Please try to watch so you can understand the suffering they go through…the first video is fine to watch; the second, well it shows the truth & it’s not pretty or nice!!”

Just a few of the many petitions to sign; please

John Birdsong IES Case

Published on 5 Apr 2014

This video shows a mare delivered to the Cavel horse slaughter plant in Illinois on behalf of kill buyer John Birdsong. The mare should have never been loaded in this horrific condition. This is just more proof that horse slaughter – no matter if on US soil or in Canada or Mexico – will NEVER be humane. Please share wide and far and urge your representative to support the SAFE ACT, legislation that would ban the slaughter of US horses for human consumption.

Viewer Discretion Is Advised

Hoof-beats of Horror

Published on 31 Mar 2014

WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT THAT MIGHT BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS.

Animals’ Angels (www.animalsangels.org) latest video shows the brutal reality of the horse slaughter industry in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Argentina. Our investigators followed the slaughter horses’ torturous journey all the way from US auctions to kill buyer feedlots and from there to export pens and slaughter plants across the border. 

Please share this video wide and far, it is more proof that horse slaughter will never be humane and that it needs to stop immediately. 

Please support the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE ACT; S.541;H.R.1094) Act , legislation introduced to stop the export of US horses across the border for slaughter in Mexico & Canada and to prevent US horse slaughter plants from reopening. 

Contact your representative now and urge him/her to support this important legislation. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

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Essex Horse Sanctuary ‘inundated’ with abandoned animals

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“Where I live there are many travellers horses grazing at the side of the road! I fear for their safety & that of the people travelling past in cars that may not see them until it’s too late. In previous years, before being in wheelchair, I have had to go round-up loose horses & wait whilst police try to find the owners; but without the horses being chipped the police have no idea who they belong to! So we have just had to move them away from the road & hope the travellers or owners will see to them.

An Essexhorse sanctuary has said it has been “inundated” with animals that are being dumped in fields to “fly-graze” without the permission of landowners.

Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary, near Ingatestone, has had to turn away horses and said the recent floods have made conditions worse for abandoned animals.

The RSPCA said most of the horses are not micro-chipped so the owners cannot be traced.

The government has said it is looking for ways to tighten laws to stop horses being deserted.

Cordelia Hemming reports: News Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-26314152

Essex horse sanctuary ‘inundated’ with abandoned animals, BBC News

Published on 23 Feb 2014

An Essex horse sanctuary has said it has been “inundated” with animals that are being dumped in fields to “fly-graze” without the permission of landowners.

Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary, near Ingatestone, has had to turn away horses and said the recent floods have made conditions worse for abandoned animals.

The RSPCA said most of the horses are not micro-chipped so the owners cannot be traced.

The government has said it is looking for ways to tighten laws to stop horses being deserted.

Cordelia Hemming reports.

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THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IS FAILING EUROPEAN ANIMALS

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When meat is imported into the European Union the law stipulates that the animal must have been slaughtered in line with EU legislation.

However, when EU animals are exported, the same rules are not afforded to them and instead they can face brutal treatment and long drawn out slaughter.

Every year three million European animals are sent on long, stressful journeys to be fattened or slaughtered outside the EU. A vast number of these go to the Middle East where Compassion’s recent investigation, in partnership with Animals Australia, has uncovered immeasurable suffering.

Please take a moment to watch the film and slideshow below to find out more about this deplorable trade. Be warned; some of the film is distressing to watch, but it’s essential concerned citizens find out where European animals are ending their journeys.

Take action against the EU’s cruel live animal export trade

 

Published on 27 Feb 2014

Every year three million European animals are sent on long, stressful journeys to be fattened or slaughtered outside the EU. A vast number of these go to the Middle East where Compassion’s recent investigation, in partnership with Animals Australia, has uncovered immeasurable suffering.

Please take a moment to watch the film and find out more about this deplorable trade. Be warned, some of the film is distressing to watch, but it’s essential that concerned citizens find out where European animals are ending their journeys.

Watch, share and take action herehttp://goo.gl/tEQQ2R

Please take a moment to watch and share our investigation. Warning: Due to its upsetting nature, you may need to verify that you are over 18 to watch the film.

When European farm animals are exported to non-EU countries every shred of protection they once received in their place of birth is rendered meaningless.

After enduring long, exhausting journeys by land and sea they may face terrifying ordeals at slaughter.

Animals are dragged by their limbs, bound up with ropes, pinned down by groups of men, beaten with metal rods, suspended upside down for extended periods of time, and eventually slaughtered in unacceptable ways that leave them conscious for many minutes after having their throats cut.

The European Commission has the power to take steps to stop this, but as each day passes without action more and more animals continue to suffer.

  • The European Commission must work towards ending the live export trade and if necessary replacing it with a trade in meat.
  • While a trade in exporting live animals continues, the European Commission must implement a scheme that will guarantee exported animals are treated in ways that prevent the worst of the suffering.
  • The European Commission must provide practical support to countries that import live animals from the EU in order that they can improve transport, handling and slaughter methods. This will not only improve the welfare of EU animals but also of any other animals slaughtered in those countries.

Please take action today. Email the Commission and call for an end to this suffering.

News Link:-http://action.ciwf.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=119&ea.campaign.id=25833&ea.tracking.id=7774353c&utm_campaign=transport&utm_source=actionemail&utm_medium=email&ea.url.id=204606&ea.campaigner.email=KmIGskm9q9s8Id8OlpmXxz%2BUx/5a9CUY&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

Please sign the petition at the above link Or below

http://action.ciwf.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=119&ea.campaign.id=25833&ea.tracking.id=7774353c&utm_campaign=transport&utm_source=actionemail&utm_medium=email&ea.url.id=204606&ea.campaigner.email=KmIGskm9q9s8Id8OlpmXxz%2BUx/5a9CUY&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

Please also take a moment to share the results of this investigation and call on others to take action with you!:-www.ciwf.org/EUliveexports

Media Gallery

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Abandoned Thoroughbred, Defense Team, rescued by South Florida SPCA

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“I would be first in line to pick up this stunning mare, how anyone could just abandon her is beyond my comprehension; there is no & never will be, a good enough excuse for this cruel crime, whilst animal organisation exist to help!. But a former race horse that costs thousands, then doesn’t race well, is more than often sent to slaughter or abandoned! I hope they find whomever she belonged to; then proceed with criminal charges! Then I hope Defense Team gets a forever home & is loved for the rest of her life!!!”

MIAMI, FL (February 17, 2014)

 Defense Team, a Thoroughbred gelding, was rescued today by South Florida SPCA. Laurie Waggoner, SFSPCA director of ranch operations, received  a mid-morning call from a Hialeah farmer who reported the former racehorse wandering along a road near one of his pastures, and that he looked “really bad…really skinny.” Waggoner and members of the Hialeah police department found the horse ambling roadside, eating grass.

If you’d like to donate toward the care of Defense Team, please visit http://www.spca-sofla.org/donate/donate-now and indicate that it is for Defense Team at checkout.

“His body condition score is a 1,” said Waggoner, referring to the lowest score on the Henneke System of Body Condition Scoring (view chart.) Fortunately, Defense Team does not appear to be lame or have any other major issues or injuries. He will receive routine vaccinations and a Coggins test, along with farrier attention to his hooves which appear to have been neglected for some time.

The horse’s tattoo number matched that of Defense Team, and SFSPCA learned he was foaled in Florida on April 6, 1999. He was purchased in Ocala, FL for $6,000, and raced only once at Calder on December 28, 2001 where he finished 11 out of a field of 12. (View pedigree.)

I will never comprehend why humans can throw animals out like trash; or just abandon them….heartbreaking!!!

Waggoner noted Defense Team seemed very happy to be found, loaded easily on her trailer and was welcomed to the SFSPCA ranch in Homestead with a nice, safe stall and a tasty flake of hay.

If you’d like to donate toward the care of Defense Team, please visit www.spca-sofla.org/donate/donate-now and indicate that it is for Defense Team at checkout.

Report horses or other large livestock animals that appear to be abandoned, abused or neglectedCall 911 for emergencies, or 305-4-POLICE (Miami-Dade, FL) for non-emergencies.

News Link:http://www.spca-sofla.org/abandoned-thoroughbred-defense-team-rescued-by-south-florida-spca/

Redwings Horse Sanctuary: State of Emergency Appeal

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As a member of Redwings with virtual adopted horses ( See below about Adoptions) from their centre; I received the grim news through the post. I wish I could show you the appalling & very upsetting pictures the state the horse were found in, but I can’t; however I can tell you how some of the rescuers described the scene:- 

“This was the worst cumulative case of horse suffering we had ever witnessed. Seeing the pain & distress of so many horses was worse than you can imagine. This is a tragic & upsetting situation, but we have to share the harsh reality of this crisis. In the hope that we can stop it from happening again…

Scenes from the Somme – stranded in a vast expanse of deep wet mud, surrounded by barbed wire, with no food & no hope the site was reminiscent of a battlefield with all the horrors of war – the horses were utterly desperate.

Death Campthe Redwings team likened the scenes to a ‘ concentration camp for horses’ with the vulnerable youngsters & their mothers most likely to succumb to starvation & disease.

The Fallen – over 100 horses were so sick, injured & malnourished that they lost their lives.

“Read more from the news below”

Multi-agency operation in South Wales

Redwings Horse Sanctuary, the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the RSPCA have spent over a week working to safeguard the future welfare of more than 400 horses at a location between Bridgend and Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Following a report to the Vale of Glamorgan Trading Standards team, welfare officers and vets moved quickly to assess the horses and provide treatment for those needing it. Over six days (12-17 November), more than 300 horses were removed from the site to places of safety by the organisations involved, with assistance from South Wales police and Bristol-based charity HorseWorld who provided vital support.

These horses will be cared for and receive further treatment as necessary whilst the investigation continues. Redwings have taken immediate responsibility for 19 horses from the site, including 12 orphaned foals.

Sadly, as the operation on site progressed and more animals were assessed, it became clear that a number of the horses were in such a state of suffering that there was only one option for them. Over 100 of the horses had to be put to sleep on veterinary advice.

Redwings Head of Welfare and senior vet Nic de Brauwere said, “I am incredibly proud of the work my team and staff from the other agencies have carried out over the last week to deal with what was an incredibly severe welfare situation. Our interest at all times was to do the best we could for each horse we found, and tragically for some that meant giving them a peaceful end after all their suffering. This operation has been an astonishing feat considering the small number of people involved and the overwhelming number of demands on our time and resources. Our staff worked tirelessly to meet the needs of the animals on the site despite the incredibly difficult circumstances, and we must give special mention to Vale of Glamorgan Trading Standards team who took quick and decisive action in what was nothing less than a state of emergency for these horses.”

Martin Hubbard from the RSPCA said: “This was a difficult and tragic situation that developed very quickly, leaving many of the horses in a desperate condition. It is thanks to the Vale of Glamorgan local authority and to the fast response and hard work of everyone involved that we managed to attend to the animals and get the majority moved to safety.”

Christina Roberts-Kinsey, Principal Trading Standards Officer for Vale of Glamorgan Council, said, “We take all complaints regarding animal welfare very seriously. After visiting the site and witnessing the appalling conditions it was necessary to take this prompt action to prevent any further suffering to the animals. This action would not have been possible without the help and support of Redwings, the RSPCA and South Wales Police.”

This case is sadly typical of the situation right across the UK, where it is believed up to 7,000 horses and ponies are currently at risk of abandonment or neglect. Welfare charities have produced a report into the current equine welfare crisis, which can be downloaded here http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-updatedhorsecrisis.php.

Since January 1st this year we have taken 219 horses and ponies into our care, and we are currently looking after 1300 rescued residents at our Sanctuary sites across the UK. To donate and help us continue to help horses, please text code RWHS00 followed by the amount you’d like to give (eg RWHS00 £5) to 70070, or follow this link to the donation pages, thanks so much.

News Link:-http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-glamorgan13.php

Please do whatever you can to help – and do it today.

Click here to donate now… or text code HORS30 followed by the amount you’d like to give (eg HORS30 £5) to 70070. Thank you.

There are other ways to help too – you can write to your MPrecycle your mobile phone, or send us your unwanted Christmas presents and old horse tack. It all helps!

Thank you.

News Link:http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-stateofemergency.php

Equine crisis – urgent update

We are in the middle of an equine crisis situation in the UK. Redwings has just helped rescue 300 horses from a site in South Wales, a few weeks ago we helped move 46 seemingly abandoned horses from a site in Hampshire, and we are already operating at capacity, with over 200 horses having coming into our care this year already.

Fly grazing and abandonment are two of the major issues contributing to this crisis. We have been delighted to see the fast tracking of new legislation from the Welsh Government to tackle the fly grazing of horses and ponies in Wales and are urgently asking the UK Government to follow suit in England to help stem the tide of unwanted horses across the country.

The new Control of Horses (Wales) Bill was passed in the National Assembly on December 10th and just needs to receive Royal Assent to become law. It grants more powers to local authorities to take action to help fly grazing and abandoned horses. However, the UK government has no such plans in England at a time when thousands of horses are at risk of suffering and death and landowners and local authorities struggle to cope with the problem.

On Tuesday 26th November 2013, MPs held a debate in Westminster Hall and we would like to thank everyone who asked their MP to go along. there was a really good turnout and a fascinating discussion which we hope will have helped pushed this issue up the political agenda. You can watch the full debate here: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=14264

As 6,500 horses remain at risk of needing rescue in England and Wales, Redwings, the RSPCA, World Horse Welfare, The British Horse Society, Blue Cross and HorseWorld have released a series of devastating case studies to illustrate how current laws permit horses to suffer needlessly including two recent cases rescued by RedwingsStephen the foal who was left to drown in a river in Essex and Lottie the pony who was found wandering the streets of Diss.

Stephen was found abandoned at just one day old in a stretch of the River Lea in Essex

You can download a copy of our updated report on the equine crisis below:

http://www.redwings.org.uk/documents/SecondhorsecrisisreportFINALsmaller.pdf

Rescue update of Alton Horses

At the end of September, welfare charities joined forces to remove 46 very hungry and many thin and sickly horses from a bare field in Alton. Eight of the most poorly horses came into the care of Redwings, while the rest found homes at private yards, where the RSPCA is providing for their care.

We very tragically lost Georgiana, only two weeks after her rescue. Georgiana was suffering with salmonella – a disease which several of these horses have – and also had an horrendous small redworm burden. Thousands of small redworms can hide inside the walls of the digestive system undetected, and can suddenly erupt out all at once, causing terrible diarrhoea and internal damage.

News Link:-http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-altonupdate.php

Details of how you can get involved, including a quick and easy way to write to your local MP can be found here: http://bit.ly/Um6rKc

News Link:-http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-updatedhorsecrisis.php

Redwings Adoption Club

The Redwings Adoption Club is the fun way to support our charity and make a new friend in the process! A year’s adoption of a Redwings horse, pony, donkey or mule costs just £12.50, which goes directly towards the daily care of your chosen equine and their friends.

Web link:http://www.redwings.org.uk/adopting/

Useful Links:http://www.redwings.org.uk/about-us/useful-links/

Faith’s Rescue & Recovery

Published on 27 Nov 2013

The moving story of Faith, who was rescued from Essex after she had collapsed and could not get up by herself – she was taken to Redwings Horse Sanctuary and against all the odds, she survived – watch her story here and read more about her at www.redwings.org.uk. Text £5 to RWHS00 to 70070 to donate to Redwings.

Appeals Court Vacates Ban on US Horse Slaughter

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“THIS IS A DIFFICULT SUBJECT for me to discuss. I own horses & understand that due to overpopulation, lack of food or abandonment etc. it is causing welfare problems. Charities can’t protect every horse in need of a home, they will simply never have enough funds to protect them all. God…I wish they could, I hate to see horses or any animal for that matter suffer, no animal lover would want an animal to suffer unnecessarily. So to prevent this, if there is no other way possible to save them, I would prefer they were put out of their misery; in the kindest way possible & cremated.  Horses die from disease, injury or just old age & their bodies have to be dealt with whatever the circumstance.

“If owners are not permitted to dispose of the body themselves on their own land, which most aren’t; then the body (no matter how loved) has to be dealt with! I dread the day one of my horses dies or has to be put to sleep, but I don’t have land to bury them on or the required permission…it would literally break my heart, but I will have no option but to still call the knacker man (for want of a better word) to cremate the body & return the ashes to me, so I can do with them as I wish.”

“WHAT I  OPPOSE is the use of slaughterhouses TO KILL HEALTHY, ILL & ABUSED HORSES FOR FOOD & PROFIT! This planet already kills way too many animals to feed the population, some in the most barbaric, cheapest & despicable ways, with rife abuse & cruelty: which is why I don’t eat animals. Those who don’t own horses but own dogs, would find the practice of a slaughterhouse for dogs horrific & wouldn’t stand for it! Just as it is with horse owners/lovers… HORSES DO NOT BELONG ON THE MENU in this century or the next. By all means their bodies have to be dealt with…BUT NO HORSE SHOULD END UP ON A PLATE! Killing horses for their meat & profit alone is not justified; THOSE WHO WISH TO KILL HORSES FOR FOOD, ARE IN IT FOR THE MONEY, PURE GREED ALONE & IT IS THEY WHO SHOULD BE BANNED!!”

A federal appeals court on Friday removed a temporary ban on domestic horse slaughter, clearing the way for companies in New Mexico, Missouri and Iowa to open while an appeal of a lawsuit by animal protection groups proceeds.

abuse1

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver lifted the emergency injunction it issued in November after The Humane Society of the United States and others appealed the ruling of a federal judge in Albuquerque. The judge said the U.S. Department of Agriculture followed proper procedure in issuing permits to Valley Meat Co. in Roswell, N.M., Rains Natural Meats of Gallatin, Mo., and Responsible Transportation in Sigourney, Iowa.

The appeals court’s order Friday said the groups had “failed to meet their burden for an injunction pending appeal.”

Blair Dunn, an attorney for Valley Meat and Rains Natural Meats, said the order lifts the emergency status of the case, meaning it will likely be months before a final decision is issued.

Dunn said the plants are ready to open, although they could agree to remain shuttered if the plaintiffs agree to post a sufficient bond to cover the companies’ losses should they ultimately prevail.

“They are getting ready to go as quickly as they can. It shouldn’t take too long. Not more than two weeks,” he said.

The Humane Society, however, said “the fight for America‘s horses is not over.”

“We will press for a quick resolution of the merits of our claims in the 10th Circuit,” said Jonathan R. Lovvorn, the group’s senior vice president of animal protection litigation and investigations.

The plants would become the first horse slaughterhouses to operate in the U.S. since 2007. Congress effectively banned horse slaughter by eliminating funding for inspections at the plants in 2006. It restored that funding in 2011, but the USDA did not approve the first permits for horse slaughterhouses until this summer.

The issue has divided horse rescue and animal welfare groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes about what is the most humane way to deal with the country’s horse overpopulation, and what rescue groups have said are a rising number of neglected and starving horses as the West deals with persistent drought.

Valley Meat and Responsible Transportation were set to begin horse slaughter operations in August, but U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo blocked their plans while she heard the lawsuit by The Humane Society of the United States, Front Range Equine Rescue and others. The groups claimed the plants should have been forced to undergo environmental reviews under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act.

Responsible Transportation abandoned its horse slaughter plans and converted its plant to cattle before Armijo dismissed the lawsuit in November.

Attorneys for the plants have argued that the plaintiffs are simply in court because they are morally opposed to horse slaughter and are looking for a way to delay the plants while they lobby Congress for a ban.

Proponents of a return to domestic horse slaughter point to a 2011 report from the federal Government Accountability Office that shows horse abuse and abandonment have increased since domestic horse slaughter was banned. They say it is better to slaughter the animals in humane, federally regulated facilities than have them abandoned to starve across the drought-stricken West or shipped to inhumane facilities in Mexico.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, calls the practice barbaric and has said blocking a return to domestic horse “is an issue of national importance and scale.”

News Link:http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/appeals-court-vacates-ban-us-horse-slaughter-21216265

GRAPHIC IMAGE: Horse starved in Citrus County; animal lovers appalled

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“How the hell could she let the mare get so bad & not ask for help or advice as to why the horse wasn’t gaining weight? Any real horse owner knows’ that teeth need to be filed down at least once a year! I get my horse done twice as it doesn’t take long for a tooth to start irritating the gum due to being sharp or hooks to cause pain, which will stop the horse eating properly. How come it took until it was on it’s last legs before someone noticed it? Was it locked away where nobody could see it? I just can’t fathom why nobody spoke up earlier, perhaps then the mare may have stood a chance! Sod falling out with neighbours; when an animals life is in danger, you speak up!! Didn’t the previous owner see it’s condition going down? So many questions because this just shouldn’t happen in this day & age!”

Floral City, Florida – “I cried her name, I said, ‘Mary, Mary — how could they do this to you?'” says a sobbing Cheryl Pence. 

She’s talking about Mary, an Arabian mare she used to own. She saw Mary again Thursday afternoon, right before she died.

When animal control officers arrived at the horse‘s current home near Floral City, Mary was down on the ground, too weak to stand — simply a breathing carcass.

“Deplorable, emaciated, there’s really not a term for it — it’s beyond emaciation,” says Animal Control Officer Terry Funderburk of the horse’s condition.

PHOTOS: Severely neglected horse euthanized, woman arrested **WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES**

The horse’s owner, Tammi Kampman, was arrested and faces an animal cruelty charge. A vet says the mare’s teeth were so uncared for, that she could not physically eat.

Kampman was arrested on one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty after a severely emaciated horse was euthanized. WARNING: Graphic photos

“It had no way to process the food put in front of it,” explains Animal Control Supervisor Lora Peckham. “It literally starved to death, because of a lack of medical care.”

The arrest report indicates that over the past year people in this rural neighbourhood, including other horse owners, had offered to help the family. And Pence, who had given the family Mary four years ago so their girls could ride, begged to get Mary back.

“I said, ‘but if you can’t take care of her, I can take her back. I’m happy to take her back; I love this horse,'” Pence says.

But according to Citrus County Animal Control, no one called them to report the neglected horse. Some residents told investigators they didn’t want to cause hard feelings in the neighbourhood and Pence thought someone else had picked up the phone. “In situations like this I would rather fall out with a whole bloody City; than not report a suffering animal!”

When 10 News knocked on the mobile home’s door today, we were told to go away, so we don’t know why this horse was allowed to suffer for so long. However, we did see several cars at the house and a bass boat out back.

“She took no action to get a vet on property,” said Peckham.

Yet, because there isn’t an indication of “intentional abuse”, Peckham explained that state law allows only a misdemeanor charge. Kampman bonded out of jail on Thursday. “Perhaps not intentional abuse but the owner isn’t blind, she saw the state of the horse & didn’t get a vet out….I call that intentional negligence, which should be accountable for as it is clearly animal abuse to leave a horse in that condition!” 

Mary was so far gone she had to be euthanized and her former owner is now left with photographs of better days and a gnawing guilt.

Appalling, horse starved to death

“She’s in horse heaven and she’s not suffering,” says Pence. “But I will never do that again. I will never give away a horse again.”

Animal Control Officers say it’s important for people to officially report animal abuse or neglect. And if owners find themselves in a situation where they don’t have the money, time, or will to properly care for animal, officials urge owners to ask county agencies or area rescue groups for help.

News Link:-http://www.wtsp.com/rss/article/328282/8/Horse-starved-in-Citrus-Co-animal-lovers-appalled

‘Rescue Sanctuary’ Family Convicted of 16 Animal Cruelty Offences

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“Animals coming out of abusive homes, go to these places, expecting the best care, to aid in their recovery! But this just proves, yet again, anybody can set up a sanctuary; yet be capable of inflicting serious harm to animals, because they don’t love them!!. Don’t these places have to be licensed & inspected regularly?? If so, what happened?? It’s sad to say but some people see animals as an easy way to make money….they don’t love animals & have no interest in aiding animals to recover; they are just a means to an end!”

“I have no sympathy for those who abuse or neglect animals in their care & believe as a business, scamming everyone; they should receive the most serious of charges! How would you feel, if you had donated money to a sanctuary, only to learn that it mistreat’s its animals? terrible I’m guessing. So before you part with your money, even if the place has a flashy internet site etc…make your own investigations before you part with any donation. I think these so-called sanctuary’s need a lot more intervention from animal society’s like the RSPCA or HSI etc., depending where they are in the world…they need to be verified, that they are taking care of the animals in their charge; as they should!! Certainly no animals should have to be rescued from a so-called sanctuary; as in this case!!”

“Think about this, hotels are given star ratings, after being approved…yet animal sanctuary’s can pop up anywhere, with no interest what so ever in taking care of the animals…to them it’s just a money maker…wanting your donation!! Perhaps animal sanctuaries should be star rated to reflect the level of care the animals receive. Shame there were no pictures of this uncaring, selfish family. But similar folk are around us all, animal lovers must be vigilant & fight together to stand up for the rights of animals; if we don’t who will. Your local council representatives & governments are supposed to listen & work for their constituents; if they have no interest in animal welfare & don’t care….make some noise & get them booted out!!”

A family who ran an animal sanctuary in Oxfordshire have been found guilty of 16 offences of cruelty.

More than 100 animals, including 14 horses, were removed from Crunchies Animal Rescue Sanctuary, near Abingdon, in January 2012.

Eight peopleAngela Russell, her carer Daniel Bunyan, father Fred, son Robert, daughters Kirsty and Louise, her brother Peter and niece Abigail McHughwent on trial in April at Bicester Magistrates Court. They were charged with 16 offences, including failing to provide inadequate nutrition and veterinary care.

On Monday (24 June), all bar Peter Russell and Daniel Bunyan were convicted of all 16 offences at at Bicester Magistrates Court.

District judge Tim Pattison said: “I echo the words of RPSCA inspector Douglas Davidson that Crunchies was ‘an animal welfare disaster’; a sea of mud and faeces and, in short, a rescue centre from which animals needed to be rescued.”

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (27 June 2013)

News Link:- http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/family-convicted-of-animal-cruelty-offences/#98wbvdMzcbEdAGSE.99 

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