Making a bad situation worse
We knew the confluence of a weak economy and some poorly written legislation would result in an unfortunate situation growing worse. The Horse Protection Act, originally written to protect certain show horses from performance-enhancing procedures deemed cruel, may have been largely responsible for the closing of the country’s equine slaughterhouses.
Last summer, the National Horse Protection League supported an amendment to this law to “prohibit the shipping, transportation, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption and for other purposes.” Probably this was designed to prevent hauling horses to abattoirs in Mexico and Canada.
At the time, people who understand the economics of owning horses and the difficulty in finding homes for those that are no longer useful, because of age or chronic lameness, pointed out the folly of this proposal.
On July 11, reports surfaced of a domestic horse found loose in Nevada with the brand cut from his hide. Horse lovers, possibly the same ones who pressed for the amendment, expressed outrage at the cruelty, an act that subjected the animal not only to the prospect of a slow death from starvation but to intense pain from an untreated wound.
Well, what did they expect? While the economy is forcing extensive job losses, the price of hay has more than tripled in many areas. The number of horses abandoned on public lands in Nevada alone has risen from 12 in 2006 to more than100 in just the first half of this year, according to agriculture officials. Wyoming and Idaho officials report similar increases of abandoned horses.
It has long been illegal to dump any domestic animal into the wild. But laws that make even the transportation of horses for donation or sale “for other purposes” a felony, make the covering of one’s tracks essential. Hence the brutal excision of a brand that could identify the owner and lead to a felony conviction.
A horse advocacy group, Return to Freedom, which runs a sanctuary near Lompoc, agreed to take the horse, which is expected to recover. Nevada officials are investigating the case that has outraged animal advocacy groups. The Humane Society has offered a reward for conviction of the perpetrator.
Recently, the United Organizations of the Horse petitioned Congress and the Administration to oppose any effort that would criminalize selling horses for salvage value or to prevent the reopening of U.S. horse processing facilities. The petition has been circulated on the Internet by the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the ROAM Act, which prohibits the Bureau of Land Management from slaughtering healthy wild horses in its jurisdiction where numbers exceed rangeland capacity.
The BLM has traditionally gathered some of the younger wild horses and put them up for adoption to individuals who signed agreements not to sell the animal for at least one year. Some adoptions were successful, but older horses, wild since birth, often proved too difficult to tame.
A tough economy, overgrazing of Western rangeland and no viable options for disposal are causing horse owners and legislators to make really tough decisions. Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg and lawmakers from other Western states, who understand the probable ramifications, opposed the ROAM Act.
Wild animals, particularly predators, tend to limit their numbers when food is scarce, producing fewer offspring in lean years. But horses can live a long time and starvation is a sad and painful death.
Allowing the BLM to cull large herds, using skilled marksmen, is a more humane option. And if carcasses are left for coyotes, wolves and raptors, the culling fulfills their needs as well.
Owners of domestic horses have a more difficult decision because they are emotionally invested in the outcome. The cost of euthanasia by a veterinarian and disposal fees are huge in the best of times but way beyond the means of someone whose job has gone south with the economy. So what can be done legally?
Some equine recovery organizations will take unwanted horses but over the past year have become overwhelmed by the need and, in tough economic times, charitable donations on which they depend dwindle.
There are a few animal sanctuaries where horsemeat is needed for the large cats. They welcome donations and care for the horses until they are dispatched humanely. But if the law makes transportation for sale or donation a felony, then even that option no longer remains.
If laws meant to protect horses were written and voted on by people more familiar with the problem, workable management solutions without unintended consequences might result.
For now, we can only hope the economy improves and that fewer proposals are made by well intentioned people who don’t fully know what they wish for.