Taunton abbatoir - not for the light hearted. Video footage

[nona1]

I didn't see anything that distressed me beyond the thought of 'how sad that these horses are in a situation where they have to be destroyed'. The handling was excellent and very professional - the man is clearly a horseman. When the large horse baulked slightly at entering the area the handler just very calmly continued to lead him in and whistled quietly to encourage the horse to follow him - no shouting, tugging or roughness at all. The area was thoroughly cleaned between horses. The shooting was fast and accurate.

On the 'still alive because twitching' idea - I too used to think that the old 'it's just the nerve endings' explanation was rubbish until I saw a programme on TV recently. IT was the show where they slaughtered animals and prepared them right in front of a group of people who then ate them. At one point there was a lump of beef hanging on a hook - literally just a joint of meat about 1 foot square, and it was twitching, spasming and moving like anything. No way was that possibly 'alive' in any sense of the word, and they explained that it was the body chemicals breaking down and still effecting the nerves. This sort of movement is very common after death. The animal is still totally dead though.

 

[JanetGeorge]

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I think its absolutely essential for any animal welfare organisations to bring awareness to people. They do it for the sake of the animals and lets be honest with the attitudes of some , someone needs to!

Why not encourage organisations such as animal aid-frankly i dont understand why they have recieved critisism??


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Animal Aid is NOT a 'welfare' organisation - it is an animal 'rights' organisation. It's ethos is about raising campaigning funds by using 'shock, horror' tactics and NOT by telling the truth!

Campaigning against horse slaughter - as the animal rights organisations in the USA have done - could end up in FAR more horses being transported to Europe in appalling conditions to be slaughtered with far less respect and compassion than they receive in this country. Just as in the USA they travel to Mexico or Canada - over vast distances - often in totally unsuitable transport.

We don't know why the heavily pregnant mare was sent for slaughter - she may have had a health problem that would have stopped her giving birth or rearing a foal successfully. She may have just been unwanted. Either way, probably better she was slaughtered then, and the foal killed if necessary, than that she was allowed to foal and was THEN sent to market with a young foal at foot - to possibly end up at the same place.

It's not something I would do - my oldies are put down at home - but not everyone can afford to 'throw good money after bad'. Getting something back rather than paying £150 - 200 (or more in some areas) to have a horse put down and the carcase removed, MAY be pretty important for some people.

Putting down a pregnant mare is something I'd HATE to do - but I have an 18 year old TB mare who was losing weight rearing her foal (she's in foal again.) Had the vet to check her out and he discovered a bad systolic heart murmur which means her days are numbered. She's getting loads of TLC and her foal will be weaned early to give her a chance, but what do I do if she keeps getting thinner and thinner - to the point where there's little chance of her surviving foaling?? Do I risk her dying in labour - with loss of the foal almost inevitable (or at best an orphan to hand rear) or do I put her down (with her unborn foal)? I HOPE we can get enough condition on her and keep her well enough that the decision won't be necessary. Obviously she won't be put in foal again, even if she gets through the foaling. IF she does - and can rear the foal - I'll let her, and then she'll be put down at home. But it's not always as black and white as it seems to Animal Aid who see "Shock, horror piccies = lots of donations!"