Save the Wild Horses

Save the Wild Horses

We all know that the Appropriations Bill is a huge mess, full of pork and favors. Here’s one little bit of the story you may not have heard of yet…

We desperately need your help to get the word out about a Rider the huge Appropriations Bill sneaking its way thru Congress. A vote is expected on Monday. This Rider would give the Bureau of Land Management the authority to begin the slaughter of 23,000 wild horses on public lands throughout the Western states.

Any horse that is 10 years old and older will be sent immediately to slaughter, and any horse that is younger than 10 who has been sent to auction 3 times and not been sold will be sent to slaughter. And the BLM would not have to do any advertising to open up adoption of the horses. Wild horses are essential to the ecosystem of the West, along with the Buffalo, the prairie dog, and the endangered blackfooted ferret. They are also essential to the spiritual and cultural survival of the Native Peoples there.

Though the ostensible reason for the horses being slaughtered is “overgrazing,” no such mass slaughter of cattle is proposed. This Administration is well-known for its “in-bedding” with major corporations. The cattle industry is a powerful lobby and is likely behind this legislation, as it is behind Montana Department of Livestock’s yearly slaughter of the last remaining herd of genetically pure wild Buffalo on public lands in Yellowstone National Park. (Interesting that the Senator who introduced this Rider is also from Montana.)

(Thanks Alice, from the group on Love Ministries)

More from the PR Web:
The 108th Congress recently passed a resolution designating December 13th as the National Day of the Horse. The Senate Resolution (S. Res. 452) says that “without horses the economy, history, and character of the United States would be profoundly different, that horses are a vital part of the collective experience of the United States and deserve protection and compassion and that because of increasing pressure from modern society, wild and domestic horses rely on humans for adequate food, water, and shelter.” It also recognizes that the horse industry contributes more than $100,000,000,000 annually to the economy of the United States.

The same Congress failed to allow The American Horse Slaughter Protection Act (HB857 and S2352) to come to a vote. The bill would have closed the three existing horse slaughterhouses in the United States and prevented the killing of almost 60,000 American horses per year. These horses are now processed for their meat in the overseas markets of Japan, Italy, Belgium and France.

With the signing of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill by President Bush next week, yet another law allowing for the destruction of America’s wild horses will be passed, sending thousands of free-roaming horses to the slaughterhouses. Senator Conrad Burns (R-Montana), slipped an eleventh-hour amendment into the 3,800 page bill (Section 142) that wipes out the protection of the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971.

You may use the following resources to immediately contact President Bush:

President George W. Bush
Phone: 202-456-1111
Fax: 202-456-2461
President@WhiteHouse.gov

One thought on “Save the Wild Horses

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *