Congress Addressing Horse Slaughter Cruelty in New Federal Legislation

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has introduced legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses for human consumption overseas, as well as the export of American horses to other countries for slaughter. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) introduced the bill, H.R. 6598, known as the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008.

In addition to Conyers and Burton, the original co-sponsors of the legislation include Reps. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Jim Moran (D-Va.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Betty Sutton (D-Ohio). The legislation has strong support from The Humane Society of the United States and other animal protection organizations.

"Every day the Congress waits, there will be more torment and more suffering for America's horses," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "The horse is an American icon, and it is a betrayal of our responsibility to these animals to treat them like cheap commodities and send them across our borders for slaughter. We ask leaders in Congress for an up or down vote before the end of the session."

State legislatures have recently acted to ban horse slaughter, shuttering the last remaining foreign-owned horse slaughter plants in the U.S., but Congress has failed to act to stop the export of live horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. More than 45,000 horses have been sent across U.S. borders to slaughter in Canada or Mexico so far in 2008, surpassing the number of exports to date in 2007.

Past congressional actions on horse slaughter have demonstrated a strong, bipartisan desire to prohibit killing horses for human consumption. In the 109th Congress, legislation to stop horse slaughter passed the House of Representatives numerous times by a margin of more than 100 votes, and passed the Senate by a more than two-to-one margin. But so far in the 110th Congress, the existing legislation, H.R. 503 by Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), and John Spratt (D-S.C.), and S. 311 by Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and John Ensign (R-Nev.), has not yet been enacted because it has been blocked by House committee leaders and Western senators. Animal advocates hope the new bill will advance quickly in Chairman Conyers' House Judiciary Committee.

Butchering horses is a particularly cruel end for these loyal and trusting creatures. The HSUS documented the cruelty and abuse when investigators followed "killer buyers" transporting horses thousands of miles from auctions to feedlots to interstate highways. They also documented a barbaric method of slaughter on a kill floor in Juarez, Mexico. Thousands of horses are stabbed with short knives, a method that leaves them paralyzed and unable to breathe. The animals are still conscious as they are hoisted up by a chain and their throats slit.

The HSUS is joined by members of Congress, the National Show Horse Registry, American Horse Defense Fund, Veterinarians for Equine Welfare, United States Equine Sanctuary & Rescue, American Walking Pony Association, American Indian Horse Registry, Palomino Horse Association, United States Eventing Association, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Steeplechase Association, Churchill Downs and more than 500 endorsing organizations along with the majority of Americans in support of the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.

Federal Court Orders Coast Guard to Review Shipping Routes to Protect Endangered Right Whales

The federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a major decision in the ongoing battle to save the world's last remaining North Atlantic right whales. Ruling on a lawsuit filed by Defenders of Wildlife, The Humane Society of the United States, Ocean Conservancy and other whale advocates, the Court ordered the Coast Guard to review the impact of shipping traffic lanes on endangered whales. The ruling is a crucial step toward altering shipping lanes to stop ship strikes in critically endangered right whale habitat.

"We applaud the court's decision," said Robert Dreher, vice president of conservation law for Defenders of Wildlife. "Ship collisions are the greatest threat to the survival of the right whale, so ensuring that the Coast Guard protects the whale in setting shipping lanes is a great conservation victory."

Ship strikes are the leading cause of injuries and mortalities to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. Vessel strikes are known to kill or injure a minimum of three whales each year on the East Coast, and a number of ship strikes are believed to go unreported. Only about 350 North Atlantic right whales are left, and according to the National Marine Fisheries Service the loss of even one whale brings the species closer to extinction. The North Atlantic right whale is protected under both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

"This decision is a wake-up call for the Coast Guard," said Jonathan R. Lovvorn, vice president of animal protection litigation for The HSUS. "The agency cannot just stand idly by while the last few right whales are run into the ground by the shipping industry."

In 2006 the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed a rule to limit ship speeds in right whale habitat to further avoid ship strikes. The Bush Administration has delayed implementation of this rule even though slower speeds are necessary to save this endangered species.

"The Court made clear that U.S. Coast Guard has an obligation to protect endangered whales from ship strikes by assessing its routing measures," said Vicki Cornish, vice president of marine wildlife conservation at Ocean Conservancy. "However, the Bush Administration shares this responsibility and it has yet to act on speed restrictions. The Office of Management and Budget needs to stop delaying vital protections before we lose right whales forever."

The same plaintiffs recently filed a new lawsuit regarding NMFS's refusal to impose emergency ship speed restrictions while the agency's 2006 proposed rule is being finalized. The Court noted in today's decision that the continued delay in finalizing the proposed rule "cast doubt" on the propriety of refusing to issue emergency measures.