Posted on 04/21/2005 11:00:27 PM PDT by kingattax
RENO, Nev. (AP) - Six wild horses rounded up on federal land in the West and sold to a private owner have been slaughtered - four months after Congress did away with protection for wild mustangs, a government official said Thursday.
"This is something we regret and are very disappointed" about, said Celia Boddington, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Washington, D.C. "We make every possible effort when the horses are sold to make sure the animals are placed in good homes for long-term care."
In December, Congress replaced a 34-year-old ban on slaughtering any mustang with a law that allows the sale of older and unwanted horses. But the Bureau of Land Management says it is trying to prevent sales of horses for their meat.
The animals up for sale are captured during periodic government roundups aimed at reducing the wild population. About 37,000 wild horses and burros roam the Western range, about 9,000 more than the BLM has said the natural forage can sustain.
BLM has sold and delivered nearly 1,000 horses since the new law passed. Some 950 more have been sold and are awaiting delivery.
"This is the first time we're aware" any have been sold for slaughter, Boddington said.
Wild horse advocates had feared the new law would mean animals would end up as horse meat for human consumption overseas, or as dog food.
"The BLM says they prescreen the buyers but obviously that isn't working," said Nancy Perry, the Humane Society's vice president for government affairs.
The BLM is investigating this month's sale of six wild horses to an Oklahoma man and their subsequent slaughter at a commercial packing plant in Illinois, Boddington said
How unfortunate. I can't believe we're eating horse meat. Why not eat dogs and cats?
2) Six wild horses rounded up on federal land in the West and sold to a private owner have been slaughtered .
Ok, I know that I may be mathematically challenged, but was is 6 / 1000 equal to as a percentage?
What was the health of these six horses?
Actually some people do.
The last time I checked into it the federal goverment owned 90 percent of the land in alaska and nevada
It's probably dogs and cats eating the horses. Horse meat is usually made into animal food.
Killing horses???! It's a disgrace!
Next thing you know the government will allow the slaughter of human babies...oh, sorry...it has for over thirty years...
The horses got off easy.
mrowrl.
Whatever. It's disgraceful. We condemn south east asians for eating dog meat, but we eat horse meat - an animal supposively more intelligent than the average dog. Barbaric to say the least.
How did you learn Cattese?
Horses are far more intelligent than Dogs and Cats. This is totally inhumane.
Are they really more intelligent than dogs? Sure, they have bigger brains and all...personally I think horses are just about as intelligent as cats, whatever intelligence they have is outweighed by their natural skittishness in most cases. I don't have tremendous experience with horses, but I recently spent a modest amount of time with my friends' horses. He's a race trainer. My impression is that they are pretty dumb, nowhere near as good learners as dogs. Yes, they have pretty good instincts; but intelligence? (and...intelligence could be defined several ways) They sure seem overly capable of running into things and hurting themselves.
The french and other Euroweenies eat horse meat
Asians eat dog and cat meat
I am taking them at their word that the herds must be thinned for their own health. It seems that they try to get them long term homes for most of them but these 6 fell through the cracks. Of course these are wild animals and it may have been a last resort. Feral dogs cats, pigs and cattle often times must be destroyed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.