Issue 17 October 2006 - Vol. # 4
VOLUNTEERING & OCT. 24TH FUND RAISING PARTY
Update
Because
of our upcoming fund raising party at No Malice Palace, the
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages has canceled volunteer
tabling for this coming Saturday. We need the time to do last minute
things. Our fund raiser is shaping up to be a great night - for a
wonderful cause. We hope you will come - but if you cannot, please
consider sending us a
donation. We are all volunteer and depend on public support to
produce our advertising campaign.
CRASH ON INTERSTATE IN MISSOURI
Rescued horses need foster and sponsorship
We
have decided to devote most of this newsletter to two related issues
- the accident in Missouri on September 27th in which a
tractor-trailer bound for an Illinois horse slaughter facility
overturned -- and the specter of horse slaughter, which is a threat
to many horses, including those in the carriage trade. The Humane
Society of Missouri (HSMO) assisted in the rescue of 25 horses and
one mule - 16 horses died due to injuries. This was reported in our
September newsletter - Volume #2.
HSMO needs donations to care for these horses and keep them from
slaughter.
Please
read more about these very needy horses and what you can do to
help.
HORSE SLAUGHTER
America's dirty little secret
More
than 91,000 horses were slaughtered in the United States last year
in three foreign owned horse slaughter plants located in Illinois
and Texas. The meat was shipped to Europe and Asia where it is
considered a delicacy. Most Americans think this is a barbaric
practice and want to see it ended.
On September 7th, The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act -
HR 503, passed in Congress by a vote of 263 to 146. If the bill
becomes law, US horse slaughter plants will be shut down. A matching
bill has been introduced in the Senate - S-1915, by Sen. John Ensign
and Sen. Mary Landrieu. The only way for this bill to come up for a
vote before the end of the year is if YOU contact your
senator to urge him/her to support and/or co-sponsor this bill. It
is best to call their office. You can reach your senator by
clicking here.
Please visit the web site of the
Animal Welfare Institute and the
Society of Animal
Protective Legislation to find out more about this issue.
CARRIAGE HORSES VULNERABLE TOO
A word about NYC's own
Most
carriage horses do not last long on the streets of NYC. While some
may find a nice home after their "retirement" - many go to the
auctions in Pennsylvania and are subjected to killer buyers. We are
currently analyzing horse lists from the Department of Health to
determine how long horses stay on the roles. This information will
be reported in the future. Previous estimates from the Carriage
Horse Action Committee, active in the 1980s and early '90s, reported
that the average working life for a carriage horse is only four
years on the streets of NYC. This was based on researching and
comparing the Department of Health horse lists going back over 10
years.
The picture above shows horses being corralled for slaughter. For
more detailed information on the tragedy of horse slaughter, visit
Equine Advocates' web
site.
| Thank you for caring about the horses, Elizabeth
Forel - Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc. for the Coalition to
Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages |
