Kim Segal and John Zarrella, CNN, August 10, 2009
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Since January, 19 horses have been reported butchered—17 in Miami-Dade County and two in Broward County.
And that might be just a conservative estimate.
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The reported deaths are being investigated by a multiagency team that includes Scott Andress from the Miami-Dade Police Department.
“In the majority of these cases, the carcasses exhibited signs of being slaughtered and dismembered, and the meat removed from the bodies,” Andress says.
Couto [Richard “Kudo” Couto of the South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] says the killing of horses for their meat is South Florida’s “dirty little secret.” But it is a secret no longer, with the number of reported horse deaths on the rise.
“At this point in the investigation, we’re attempting to confirm the existence of a black market demand,” Andress says.
Law enforcement authorities say it may be premature to focus solely on a killing-horses-for-meat theory. But Couto believes that is exactly what is happening And, he says, it has been going on for years.
The SPCA’s Couto says he knows firsthand that there is a black market for horse meat. He even quotes prices—a pound of horse meat might sell for anywhere from $7 to $20, with one recent report of $40 for a pound in Broward County.
The interest in the meat stems from cultural demand, according to Couto. The Miami area is a melting pot, he says, made up of many nationalities.
“In their country of origin, horse meat is legal to buy and eat,” Couto explains.
He also says people may be interested in horse meat because of a false belief that it will cure medical ailments such as AIDS or ease the side effects of chemotherapy.
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Original article
(Posted on August 11, 2009)
Comments
It is well known that latinos consume horse meat south of the border. But I am left uninformed in this article? Just where does this demand come from. There is no mention of which ethnicity(s) are buying this meat on the black market. So for the time being I will just assume that it is white immigrants from Europe, or maybe Chinese immigrants who are slaughtering/buying this meat in hopes that it will cure AIDS.
I do not have a big problem with this. As long as it is done in accordance with state law and USDA standards. Animals are used for food. I remember my parents discussing whether or not to buy horse meat in the early 70s. Apparently there was a beef shortage or beef had become really expensive (I don’t reallt recall exactly). But horse meat was sold briefly. I mean you can buy buffalo in the grocery store.
Now if this is being done inhumanely, in unsanitary conditions, with stolen horses, then I have a problem.
Does anyone know just what nationalities these are who like to eat horses?
Can anyone say without being guilty of “dietism” or “foodism”?
To be completely fair, the taboo on eating horse meat is an Anglo-Celtic thing, not a white thing. It’s widely eaten by whites throughout continental Europe and in Quebec and always has been. In Latin America, the practice of consuming horse meat was probably introduced by white Spaniards.
As someone who once owned a wonderful horse and love them in general, this “recession” has already been really sad just from that standpoint. Many, many horses have been abandoned or just neglected to death. Many people have had to part with really valuable horses, not knowing if their best friends will end up in a dog food can.
Maybe John PM can get God to help the horses?
I felt Michael Vick should have served many more years for his vicious treatment of animals. Likewise,you can stop this horse business by long sentences(10 yrs at least) and rewards. Probably Haitians-they are absolutely the dumbest of the many dumb in Florida. Hope I didn’t offend anyone here from Florida.
I’m Austrian, and we eat horse meat regularly. It’s quite good. It’s better than beef, and better for you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_meat
I’m a horse-lover, and this is one the worst things I have read all year. This can’t be ignored by the breeding industry either, as a stallion, Drilling for Oil, was recently found butchered in Peru after being sent for stud duty. So many top studs are sent to the southern hemisphere for stud duty in South America after the spring breeding season here; if one of the more prominent stallions should meet such a horrifying end, it would send the breeding industry into lockdown.
IIIRC the French eat horsemeat regularly but I didn’t know the other continental europeans did-like the individual from austria.I heard it’s fine grained and tasty but I’ve yet to try it.sounds good and if slaughtered humanely-it’s just food.
“Maybe John PM can get God to help the horses?”
Yes, the french love horsemeat and when you bought a horse at an auction, you competed with the “killer” buyer. The US stopped this a couple of years ago and now they are shipped south of the border and killed in the most horrific way. They are run into a chute and a mexican stabs at their spine with a knife until it is severed. In this country the horse would be shot first. This is what the “do-gooders” have done. There are many old, injured and useless horses and some dangerous ones that need to be put down humanely, and if it is for food, so be it. Yes, good ones sometimes end up there too, unfortunately. And in this economy, GOOD horses bring no money.
Horses are no longer slaughtered in the United States because of laws pushed throught by animal rights groups—for them it is just a step in outlawing the eating of meat.
I’d think Amren could think of better ways to use web space, or is a horse being killed and eaten the most heinous act committed of late ? Or perhaps, the least controversial ? The US is one of the absolute minority of countries in the world who thiunk eating horse meat is taboo. In fact, many countries internationally consider horse meat to be the finest and most delectable of all. It has nothing to do with savagery or cruelty, only ignorance. Next.
