Forest Service may allow sale of horses for slaughter

[bluemingidiot]

It would be the first time in nearly a half-century the government has sold mustangs "without limitation," or for any purpose, including slaughter.

Adoptions are way down.

The region holds roughly 90,000 wild horses.

www.chron.com/news/science/article/APNewsBreak-Agency-built-pen-for-possible-horse-13535658.php

[oxankle]

It is high time. When the government bowed to the PETA people and forbade the slaughter of horses for food they ruined the horse market in the US. People abandoned horses on public ground, gave them away and even put them down in the pastures to rot.

People have eaten horse meat for ages--prehistoric evidence is abundant. There is no more reason to forbid the consumption of horse meat than there is to forbid the sale of beef.

And while I am insulting PETA folks I may as well make a job of it.  There is no logical reason to forbid the consumption  of cats and dogs, either.  In other parts of the world they are eaten.  Our own American Indians relished dogs--I believe it was Washington Irving who described being treated to a dish of dog when in an Indian camp. 

If we permitted the sale of dog we could do away with most of the expense of animal control units.  We already eat goat, sheep, chicken, beef--dog and cat are the only major pick-ups that most pounds lock up.  Even burro and mules are edible--the American Indian preferred mule over horse and beef.  Cats make great Chinese food, and cleaning up strays would let our quail and songbird population return.

[bluemingidiot]

When the populations of horses, or cats, or dogs, or peoples goes unchecked there are regrettable consequences.

That said, some people relish menudo, some relish chicken feet, some relish ham hocks, some relish cow brains, some relish chittlins, some relish biscuits and grease gravy, some relish tortillas and pinto beans. Often I have found that these were the only things their parents could obtain to feed them. But because they came from someone that loved them and cared for them, and inspite of the poverty there was some laughter and even joy during meals, people relished them. Which really means people relish the people and experiences they had with the foods, and not really the foods themselves.

[mollymckee]

PETA is a terrible group, helps themselves, not animals. They may get involved in killing the wild horses for publicity, but not because they care. They actually kill and hurt more animals than they help. There is going to be a real fight if the forest service wants the horses rounded up and shipped. There are quite a few people with money and clout that want the horses protected. There are too many horses but it seems to me the best way to help the horses is to do birth control and cut the numbers back gradually. Shipping 90,000 or any large number of the horses is going to cause plenty of problems. THere are no processing plants in the USA, the horses have to go to Mexico or Canada. The processed meat mostly go to China and the Orient.

[bluemingidiot]

Sounds good but how would you achieve birth control?

[mollymckee]

I believe they can dart the mares with long term implants. I know they can implant them.

[bluemingidiot]

50,000 times? How much is that going to cost your grandkids?

[mollymckee]

How much is a long court fight going to cost? The chemicals are very inexpensive, government backcountry Rangers and other current employees and local ranchers can do the work supervised by government vets. You would still have wild horses, but in numbers that help both the horses and people that want them left alone. Now if the land they have been living on goes to ranchers for grazing land all bets are off on the court fights. A lot of people feel BLM wants the horses gone so the ranchers can lease the land. WIld horses are a big tourist draw in some areas, especially in foreign tourists.

[wildhorseluvr]

Jan 22, 2019 5:17:16 GMT mollymckee said:

I believe they can dart the mares with long term implants. I know they can implant them.

Implants are a good solution, but the animal rights groups have fought it for years, since it isn't "natural". 🙄

[mollymckee]

Most of those groups are looking for donations. A good IRS audit would stop them, or just making them comply with 5013c laws, including opening their books. We do have to do something. The horses will be starving to death on their own pastures. Unfortunately, there are just not enough homes for the numbers of horses, both wild and otherwise. There are plenty of purebred and well trained horses in the kill pens because people want to rid of them fast. A horse in many suburbian backyards or local stables doesn't work any more. Without a stay at home mom, kids can't ride much. The families are so busy, the interest in having a horse has really died out.

[bowdonkey]

Gotta raise money for those new aircraft carriers somehow!

[mollymckee]

I imagine the government will "make" money on the horses like they do on timber sales. Put in new roads, pay for helicopters, truckers or something else. The government is certainly good a spending money to " make" money. And creative book keeping.

Our son use to drive by one or the government horses stations or whatever they call them on his way to meetings. He stopped one day to see what the horses were like and how much they were. He bought a nice 3 year old gelding. The horse had been captured the fall before and was not halter broke. He paid $25.00 for him.

It was amazing how fast the horse attached to him. Three weeks after he bought him, he got hurt. DS could halter him and lead him but no one else had worked with him. The vet could not believe the horse had been born in the wild and captured only 7 months earlier. He stood for stitches and as long as D.S was right there he let the vet do whatever he needed to. Maverick is a great horse, kind, quick to learn, easy to handle. Not what you would expect, but no one has screwed him up or fought with him.