SAPL Pleads with Public to Contact Members of Congress Today Regarding Horse Slaughter

Wild Horses Again Win Victory in US House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 19, 2005) - The US House of Representatives today resoundingly reaffirmed by unanimous consent what it originally declared in 1971 - America's wild, free-roaming horses and burros must be protected from commercial exploitation and the cruel slaughter industry. In a tremendous victory on behalf of all horses, the House again passed an amendment sponsored by Representatives Nick Rahall (D-WV), Ed Whitfield (R-KY), John Sweeney (R-NY) and John Spratt (D-SC) that prohibits taxpayer funds from being used to sell or slaughter America's wild horses.

"This is the fourth vote to end horse slaughter, and yet the full bill to ban the terrible practice continues to be blocked by two or three legislators. This ongoing obstruction is symptomatic of what is wrong with politics today," said Chris Heyde, deputy legislative director of the Society for Animal Protective Legislation. "We knew the House of Representatives would continue to listen to the will of the American people, and now they must end horse slaughter once and for all."

In late 2004, a rider stripping away the original Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act's decades-old protections was passed without public awareness or Congressional oversight. The new amendment will effectively stop the Bureau of Land Management from implementing this reprehensible measure.

"Today, our elected representatives have listened to the truth about wild horses," Heyde said. "Despite the enormous amount of misinformation being spread by pro-horse slaughter individuals, the facts remain clear: wild horses are not to blame for rangeland destruction, they are not starving to death and that there are far too few of these national treasures. They deserve to live free on our public lands, and we must ensure their future welfare."

With the will of the people being heard in the Halls of Congress, now more than ever, the House and Senate must take the next step in finally ending the inhumane practice of horse slaughter. The public must demand passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503 and S. 1915) - the only bills to permanently ban all horse slaughter for human consumption - by calling on their Members of Congress to act immediately.

For more information--www.saplonline.org