Would you feed your horse to a lion?

Many years ago my step father knew a whole sale butcher, he collected surplus animals from zoos, so his fields not only had cattle in them but groups of exotic grazing animals. When we visited he drove through the field feeding them sweets. He also had a lion and a monkey in a cage. His wife's favourite horse lived in the yard beside the kitchen and could put his head through the open window.
His wife was gored by a deer, and as I was a nurse she had to so me the scar, and upstairs the bedroom of full of mounted animal heads.
radcliffe-on-trent-local-history-society.co.uk

HISTORY OF PRINCE'S PLACE - Local history society

SHELFORD ROAD FARM (also known as Betts Farm) A farmhouse has been on this site since 1852 as a plaque with the initials E S and a date of 1852 was found on a wall of the house. This refers to Edward Smith who was
radcliffe-on-trent-local-history-society.co.uk
 
Polos Mum said:
I think it is not a million miles away from organ donation - I've I'm dead, then chop me up and do whatever helps the world in a tiny way.
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Weirdly I am quite happy for myself to be chopped up. Get those organs out! I don’t want to wake up in a coffin 😂

But no I couldn’t send my horses away to be eaten, dead or alive. I’m way too sentimental and want to know where they are the same way I do my other pets and family at the end.
 
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As above too sentimental to do it, obviously shooting horses is common so no nasty drugs there that would be a problem for the lions but how are they euthanising the small furries?
 
Tamarisk said:
Agree, my guineas are all individually cremated and put in caskets in their final herd groups. It’s the last respectful thing I can do for them. Sentimental yes, but I can sleep at night knowing I showed them utmost respect for the love they gave me. Their ashes will be scattered with mine when the time comes. I could never feed them to something. If these poor animals need natural food…fur, bones etc then maybe they shouldn’t be in Such an unnatural environment?
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Yes me to - I cannot think of my horses which I have loved over the years end up as dog sh1t or lion. They are all individual and going to my plot where I will go too. I am also sentimental too
 
Widgeon said:
Now that is an impressively niche piece of knowledge.
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Can't remember how I stumbled across it but it was a while ago, just lodged in the back of my brain!

Beausmate said:
Very, very expensive leather. I was asking more along the lines of having a horse skin rug, so hair on hide. He wouldn't have wanted to be shoes - barefoot all the way!
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Indeed expensive and yes I was responding to the fact that the rug may not work. Handbag?!
 
Parrotperson said:
My only problem was that they were asking for healthy pets!! Which is a bit…..odd.
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I suspect they mean pets that aren't on any medication. Lots of older pets might be on pain killers or anti inflammatory / arthritis stuff etc. which would make them unsuitable for food.

Badly worded in the article / badly translated I suspect.
 
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I said I no longer have horses but when I had mine pts used injection and group cremation. Hounds etc were absolutely not an option, dont like the thought of it. I also didn't hunt so no need/desire to want to support them

However for small animals id want individual cremation with ashes returned they become members of the family

Having said that I think it would be a solution to all these rescue centres being full of poorly bred coloured cobs if the zoos offer were to take place in this country
 
poiuytrewq said:
So many questions!! Someone had a pet loiness on a gargae roof? :oops: What the hell 🤣
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This was our first horse, a gelding, many years ago in the days when you could still keep wild animals as pets.
She sat on the flat roof which had railings round it. She could have jumped over except that she was chained up. She never showed any sign of wanting to do so, which was a good job because there were only a few yards of garden between the garage and the road. In poor weather, she sat looking out of the living room window. She did always seemed very chilled.
I believe that she was rehomed more suitably when licences for wild animals were introduced, because obviously her circumstances were far from ideal.
 
That’s just utter madness 😂 I was clearly so shocked my spelling went out the window!

I’ve never heard of anyone having something like that as a pet, I’m not sure I knew it was ever allowed.

Although I do remember a pet shop selling monkeys near us when I was at school.
 
I just had a quick look on Google maps and can still see a cage and netting from where I used to see the pumas/cougars. I don't actually remember the netting when I rode round there about 11 years ago so think it might be a more recent addition.
 
silv said:
I think that is totally unacceptable, if they are in the wild then so be it. but not in captivity, that is awful, image the terror and pain for the poor creatures.
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I agree. I didnt watch much. Haunted me ever since. I hope where ever it was no longer feel the need to do it.
 
Nancykitt said:
I still have Finn's ashes in a basket and it actually makes me feel uneasy...I just don't really know what to do with them.
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Thats how I feel I still have my late mare and her son's ashes and a few cats, I worry when I finally move they be left behind, hence why i found a pet cemetery where they will ALL go together including me. So Found Silvermere Haven Pet Cemetery. I took my pony and donkey and first mare with 1 cat, no regrets I know where they are and mind is at peace, once I am ready to let the others go they will go too.
 
Widgeon said:
Yes when I saw the headline I was initially a little puzzled! I have no moral problem with it, assuming that they are good at PTS, but like others have said I always stay with my animals at the end, so it's not something I would do.

And I agree with @meleeka that most pet horses won't be suitable as they're usually only PTS when they're no longer healthy.

ETA Actually thinking about it, how on earth do they PTS the small animals if not by injection? I am slightly suspicious about this. Assuming they wouldn't feed their lions drugged meat. I have never tried to shoot a guinea pig but I would imagine it's a specialist skill (sorry, that was perhaps slightly dark humour)

ETA again....yes, neck wringing or gassing....I'm not convinced that's a great way to go for a guinea pig. It's a no from me there. Wringing the necks of cockerels though....fine.
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Yes I was wondering how they pts the guinea pigs
 
The local Safari Park used to take horses and ponies direct. Obviously they were PTS, an alternative to the hunt kennels. I knew someone who took a pony there, I think they got a few £ for it, but then it was so long ago that I think most animals would fetch a small amount of money. I am talking 30+ years ago.

Knowing how sensitive Big Cats are to things (can't feed them soya, makes leopods infertile) I wonder what they would think about older horses and ponies on Bute, etc.
 
As for replying to the original post - no, I would not feed my horse to a lion, not in the above circumstances.

It would be one thing to take the horse to the kennels, with familar smells and sounds, but not to a safari park with the smell of frightening animals. I suppose once they are dead, done at home, it doesn't matter so much about what happens to the body.
 
I couldn't do it with mine, as others have said I'm far too sentimental. And if the lions only like lean meat the Irish eejit is completely safe!
Talking about keeping parts of our horses, someone i follow on twitter kept her horse's skull. The vets removed it for her and she sent it away to have the flesh removed! 😬
 
poiuytrewq said:
First glance at this thread yes I would, then I read it and they want them live so no I wouldn’t. As most above are saying I’d want a horse dead before leaving, I’m actually not adverse to taking a horse to the hunt, I’ve done that before (not my horse or my decision) and they did it straight away as soon I got him off the lorry. It was fine.
I’d worry, and I may be wrong but the smells and noises of being taken to a zoo would be terrifying?!
So definitely not that.

As for asking people to donate live healthy rabbits, hens and Guinea pigs to be gently killed.. really! Who would do that!
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For young cockerels its probably a far better end than being passed around.
 
As long as horse is pts at home, I’d have no problem with it. I have mine done by the hunt and fed to the hounds anyway.
 
I'm pretty sure they used to gas cats to pts at the vets back in the 70s. I did some work experience when I was in my early teens. The dogs were injected, but the cats - after the owner had left the 'destruction box' was brought out. It had thick walls and very secure fastenings. I asked what happened to the cats when they were put in the box and they told me they just 'peacefully went to sleep'. I was too young/innocent to question further.
 
I am very pragmatic about death. When we had the option near us, my ponies were shot by the local huntsman and fed to hounds.
I've always said when my time comes, don't waste a grave, throw me to the lions.
My FiL was very strict about his remains being given to a University for medical research. He was a bit of a snob and hoped for Cambridge, but he died at the end of term so they refused him. The lucky students of Nottingham Uni took him instead.
 
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