We Want To Live

Wild Mustangs In Arizona
Picture by John Harwood

Well the uplifting news days are now officially in limbo, as several stories came this morning that have put the fire back in my eyes.
Not everyone, I am sure, is passionate about Horses, some may fear them, others may

have no opinion either way, but then there are those of us, who grew up loving them and would not take kindly to anyone harming them, for any reason.

It is being reported that Apaches in Arizona are asking to be allowed to slaughter 4,000

wild horses on their Reservations because their people cannot afford to feed them and they can make a great deal of money if they do so.

You may remember that New Mexico is about to become the first US State to allow Horse Slaughtering and have a Slaughter House?

The two key factors to consider in this gut-wrenching conflict are:

that many, many horses will be killed for lack of food and they are living on land where the US Government should have no say.

Now, several thoughts come to mind:

Can some or all of these horses be adopted?

Can outsiders donate food for them?

Aside from the obvious ethical considerations in this issue, let us all think for a moment on this?

The proposed slaughter of these animals is to produce meat for humans to eat, an extremely disgusting thought.

What has not been made clear, or undisclosed deliberately, is that some of these Horses were previously used in Horse Racing, ( a blood sport/abomination that makes my blood boil ) and therefore were exposed regularly to various drugs making the human consumption of them not a terribly good idea.

My question is this, as an adamant horse lover, what gives anyone the right to murder all of these beautiful animals?

Yes, they are living and breeding on Native Reservations, which makes the whole issue somewhat cloudy and controversial because Native Reservations are supposed to be Sovereign Nations.

One explanation as to the reason that the Apaches or other Tribes would be so desperate to do this for purely economic reasons and that I have long complained about, is the nearly complete lack of interest by American humanitarians, philanthropists or just plain generous people, to donate or offer assistance to try to relieve some of the absolute poverty that exists on many, if not most, US Reservations.

I can speak with a bit of experience on this issue, having been to many of them personally.

Too many Americans with the means to make a difference, take their money to other Countries, why?

So, dear animal loving people, if we wish to prevent these 4,000 horses and          

many more that will surely follow them in these Western states from being slaughtered

for our next burger, we had better get involved in this and make our move now,

because this ugly issue will not be well resolved for either the animals or the Native people,

unless things change dramatically and soon.

Here are some stories to read, but only if you are able, as they do hurt:
Thousands Of Horses Could Starve On Reservations

Horse Slaughter Banned In New Mexico

Chemically Tainted Horsemeat Unfit For Consumption