the Hump

[krissy3]

I think its important to get this word out , so please tell your friends. There is a restraunt in Southern California serving whale meat on their menu , and horse meat. This is in Santa Monica I believe. The whale is an engangered spiecies, so they got into truble for that , but they have not prosecuted on the horse meat thing yet. It is a felony to serve horse meat in California. You can read more about this , and even go to their web page and tell them directly how you feel about this . Please check out :modedit: for more info on what you can do to stop this. Mostly just tell your horse friends, so people will not go to their establishment. Best way to stop this is through their pockets.

thanks for looking , and taking a stand to NOT support horse slaughter.

 

[wildoak]

Aaack on both counts. Surprised they even attempted to sell the whale meat.

Jan

 

[Holly at WhiteTailsMinis]

THAT IS JUST SICK AND APPAULING!!!!!!!!!!

 

[HGFarm]

Sorry, to me, meat is meat.... I have eaten a huge variety in my lifetime- just never had the opportunity to try horse meat. Why should one animal be different than another when it comes to the food chain? What makes a horse different than a cow, chicken, pig, snake, ostrich, deer, turkey, snake, buffalo, etc....?? I dont get it.

 

[Fanch]

I do have to agree with Laurie here, its really just a matter of perspection. In our society its not common to eat horses, they are seen as pets, but thats only a perspective. Just like in South America, guinea pigs are a common source of meat, but north americans see them as pets.

I cannot agree with feeing an endangered whale, thats just sad.

 

[krissy3]

yes you are right meat is meat, however when the meat is on the endangered spiecies list it is different ...and when the meat on your plate is an old ex race horse that slipped through the cracks because it was loosing money for the owner and he wanted to dump it at auction , then its different. Horses headed for slaughter are not horses that were raised for eating , they are peoples pets that they could no longer care for for finantial reasons. There is a difference between the way cattle for slaughter is raised and how your horse is raised..I am not against eating horse IF it is killed in a stress free, and quick mannor, however if you research the methods of slaughterhouses in MEXICO , wherethe horse meat comes from you would be horrified. Slitting the spine is not humaine or quick. We did a very bad thing when we closed slaughterhouses in America, at least in America the slaughtering was controlled,quick, sanitary, and had to pass certain laws, do you think the same applies in Mexico?

The difference between a truck full of cattle for slaughter and a truck full of horses for slaughter is that 99% of the horses once had homes where they were loved and charrished, and well taken care of , so they know the difference between a warm bedded stall , and a cold cement floor filled with blood.

 

[KanoasDestiny]

When I was little, I was appalled to find out that Jack N the Box served horse meat at one time. I held a huge grudge against them because I was pro-horse. Lol. But when I got older, I began to realize that just because I LOVE horses, it doesn't make them any different than other animals. I now agree with Laurie. While I find it terribly sad that people are so inhumane to send their horses to slaughter, I also feel terribly sorry for the cattle, pigs, chickens and any other animal that never knew love and were born solely to die. It's horrible for any animal involved, and although I understand what your saying about how traumatic it is for the horses, other animals have equally horrible experiences. I know of several people who raise animals for food...they name them, pet them, give them comfortable homes until the dreaded day comes. The way they hang steers upside down and slit their throats while butchering, is no more humane to me than what they do in the slaughter houses.

Eating horses is the norm in other countries, just as some countries don't believe in eating pig or cows like we do here. It's all a matter of what you prefer or believe. As for the whales, I think it's bad to kill an endangered species, but if I was hungry enough, I can't say I wouldn't eat one.

 

[Reijel's Mom]

The difference between a truck full of cattle for slaughter and a truck full of horses for slaughter is that 99% of the horses once had homes where they were loved and charrished, and well taken care of , so they know the difference between a warm bedded stall , and a cold cement floor filled with blood.

Well, really, wouldn't you say ALL animals DESERVE this? I think they do, whether we plan to eat them or not, whatever species they are. Someday I may raise my own cattle/chickens. They will be very well treated and then I will probably eat them, and even though that will be hard for me, I'll feel good knowing that they had a much better life than the meat I can buy from stores. I really don't have a problem with people eating horse meat, I just think that all animals deserve as good of life as we can give them and as good of death as we can give them as well.

 

[Minimor]

Actually there are farms that raise horses specifically for slaughter. There is a farm in this province that does just that. They have somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 horses--I have never been there, they are about 5 hours from me, but have heard about them from different people, some of whom live in the area. They have a herd of registered horses and breed & sell horses for show, western working events & dressage--and then they have their herd of slaughter horses, where they raise foals & sell to the meat man--I actually have never asked who they sell to, if it's the slaughter house directly, or to a middle man, but I do know they operate a feed lot (for horses) as well, so their horses would be slaughter ready when sold. I just can't imagine doing this--to me horses are pets, not food, but I do realize that not everyone sees it the same way I do, and I know there is a market for those horses.

I do hope (or should I say wish) that all species are humanely treated when being taken to slaughter. While horses are the closest to my heart, I really hate hearing stories of cruelty to cattle or hogs or chickens or whatever.

 

[HGFarm]

I agree that an animal on the endangered species list is a no-no. I dont agree with that, simply because it's endangered and dont want to see any creature become extinct.

I dont know one rancher here (and I was married to one for years) that purposely treated their cattle or any other animals in a bad way simply because they were raised for slaughter. Those cattle, sheep, chickens or what have you, is your lively hood and your living and you cant afford to lose them due to neglect, disease, etc.....

When you go to the grocery to buy milk or meat, you dont know what specific animal it came from. How do you know for sure that that steak you are going to eat came from old Buttercup, the neighbors pet cow or was it from a range cow that is wilder than a deer? The romantic notion that all horses need to be saved just is not reality.

There are horses being turned loose here now quite often to fend for themselves. See my other post on the sick mare that was just rescued here. She is being euthanized tomorrow. Her owner who had her as a 'pet' decided she was not worthy, and with a raging infection, bad teeth, arthritis and several hundred pounds underweight, turned her loose in the desert, where there is no salt, no water, no feed due to the droughts, no farrier, no vet and no kind voice or hand to comfort her. I would have rather seen this horse slaughtered for something than to go through what she has already. It's one of the most horrible cases I have seen.

Someone else told me they recently rounded up EIGHT horses that were turned loose to fend for themselves- and two are pregnant. What happens when one gets hit by a car at night? Or runs into a fence and severely injures itself? Or has a problem foaling and dies a slow and horrible death out there by herself with a foal still in her she could not have. Is this the kind of ending that people think is a good one for their 'beloved' pet?

The rescues are so over crowded and the donations are way down... they will NOT take any more horses- they CANT. Every one I know, some that have been in exhistance for many years, are barely staying afloat and cannot take one more animal.

If there is no other avenue for these animals, what is to happen to them? Do you know that your euthanized dogs and cats go to rendering plants and end up back in pet food? Is it ok to feed Fido, who was euthanized because he had kidney failure, to Fluffy?

I just dont understand why folks are so appalled at eating horse meat, when they aren't about other animals, some of which may have been loved or a pet at one time too. I have been a horse nut since I was a kid, and love them more than anything, and have worked with all kinds of them over the years, and hate to admit that for some, a 'vacation' in France may be a better ending than other ways they could end up. Flame away, but I try to be very blunt and realistic about things and life in general and I just see nothing wrong with eating horse meat.

 

[Littleum]

The whale I take issue with. Endangered species need to be breeding, not on my plate.

The horse? Don't care. I would eat horse if it was served to me.

If whales came off the endangered list and there were enough to eat, I'd try that too.

To Hindus the cow is sacred. Here we eat them by the ton.

Just perception.

 

[crponies]

I do not have an issue with people eating horse meat other than as the original post stated, this is against the law here. This restaurant is doing wrong because the law forbids what they are doing.

 

[krissy3]

I guess we got off track from what i stated before ..it is against the law in California to eat horse meat, or to sell the meat in a restraunt. I am assuming that if its illegal to eat horse meat here , and we shut down all our horse slaughter houses , then its against the law to kill horses for meat here too. That being said they are exported to Canada or Mexico. I am not happy with all animals being slaughtered for food...however I love a good stake , so I have to accept it . There are nicer ways to end a slaughtered animals life, some plants use these methods. I forgot the womans name, but she did go to a lot of slaughterhouses to help them learn new ways to humainly slaughter the livestock.Somebody needs to do an advert. on their humainly slaughtered cattle, the sales would go up . Look at the "free range" chicken.

anywho, the meat being sold on their menu was done illegally. I have eaten Donkey and horse too, as I live in Europe , but even here its becomming less popular... the horse meat section gets smaller and smaller, but to tell you the truth , I wouldnt mind if they were treated nicely, and slaughtered humainly, I think the hardest part for them is the long trip to Mexico, and the discusting way they are kept, in total filth .

I would rather see the horses killed here humainly and under supervision , then transported. I had my doggie Kirby privatly cremated, then spread his ashes. i will do the same for the horses one day.

 

[HGFarm]

krissy3 I agree totally to that.... instead of closing slaughter houses, WHY didnt they make stricter slaughter regulations and rules and then make sure they were abided by? I agree that there are humane ways of doing it and when the slaughter houses here were closed, what I predicted would happen has happened exactly. Now instead of dealing with the slaughter here, they are dealing with the horrible ways they are hauled out of the country, to be slaughtered in the same, or worse, conditions that we have no say or regulation in now. So what did this do for the animals welfare by closing slaughter houses here? Not one thing. Now they just have to endure a horrible road trip before they get to the same ending.

I agree that slaughter houses are not a bad thing- but humane methods need to be enforced. I wonder if there is a 'loophole' in regards to serving the horse meat at that place? If they are not butchered here, but were butchered elsewhere and then the meat shipped in??? Dont know CA laws so dont know if that is legal. I doubt however, that they would find any legal loopholes on the whale meat!!!! WHERE would they even get that stuff??!!

 

[Reijel's Mom]

II forgot the womans name, but she did go to a lot of slaughterhouses to help them learn new ways to humainly slaughter the livestock.

Temple Grandin - I'm a huge admirer!

 

[Miniv]

BTW...........I Googled "The Hump". They are closing.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

The gal you're talking about is Temple Grandin She's currently working in Wyoming where the governor has allowed horse slaughter to be another option for stray/feral/abused horses, on developing protocols for humane horse slaughter.. Will be interesting to see what comes about from her work, as I'm one who believes slaughter is a necessary evil..

 

[Hosscrazy]

Not sure where you got the info on alleged horse meat? They are being investigated for serving whale meat.

Liz R.