Over a month ago I announced via FaceBook that I was, after long hard thought, retiring from advocacy. Perhaps I used the wrong terminology, sabbatical is the term I should have used. Suffering from Compassion Fatigue, I need a break, the length of which is unknown.
Anyone who is bombarded on a daily basis with the continued horrors inflicted upon animals, anyone who must physically clean up the mess left behind by irresponsible pet owners, administer care to the abandoned and the suffering, anyone who works in shelters and vet hospitals will in time go through Compassion Fatigue. Similar to Post Trauma Stress Disorder, the effects of Compassion Fatigue can be and are devastating.
Despite the need for peace and respite from advocacy there are issues that continue to eat at my soul, no inner peace can be found as long as animals suffer at the hands of man.
I received this email just the other day from Sinika, with the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition, and with her permission have copied and pasted it below.
Canada continues the blood bath in the equine slaughter plants in this country. Canada continues to enable the horrific BLM roundups of wild horses in the US by importing these animals for slaughter into our country.
We all thought that the recent XL Meat scandal was bad enough. We learned how our Canadian Food Inspection Agency dropped the ball on that one. Well the CFIA continues to drop the ball, by not effectively and efficiently monitoring horse slaughter in this country, and by allowing contaminated horse meat to be exported from this country. But really, think about it, can we expect anything less, after what we have already learned?
Once you have read Sinika’s email, please take the time to visit this additional link below regarding ‘Animal Angels’ Investigation of the “Bouvry’s Slaughter Pipeline”. “Bouvry Exports operates one of the largest horse slaughter plants in Canada approved to export horse meat to the EU. Bouvry Exports owns about 2000 acres of land near Fort Macleod, where they fatten US and Canadian horses in large feedlots.”
Warning the pictures which are exposing this horrendous inhumane treatment of horses awaiting slaughter are very graphic.
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=whxo74bab&v=001rfHpJW7JhgDr8qwFNDbXg9Pu9-IzZcEd7xgB8eBrxCjUoheS_2QY-8GOquJ-4WBdFdNJaacsldVMviXrVCbFa4AZZ7i32KMc3B_FLV8mlryiahf_PcKjTGPWxg9wJVzu3qZCw_0JtgRgCZ91IxGbsqFVIljvA04MDFO1YByYstl7dog3Npbd-7HZs-HjCMuEMA0DRiV22etN6gBwoP8nKfLMBsUF5cKSoOCHNnQtFHUmdWSHOAa1ke7TlEZd83Z6
We cannot allow the continuation of such inhumane treatment to continue. We all know about the Factory Farms, we all know about the Puppy and Kitten Mills, we all know about the Dog Fighting Rings, the Racing Industry, the Circuses and the Rodeos….but more must be done to end the equine slaughter for profit and greed and the exploitation of lands established as protected areas for wild horses, we must all put an end to the Canadian export of tainted meat unfit for human consumption, and any and all Canadian imports of products into this country from the cruel exploitative practices of other nations against animals.
Below is Sinika’s email: posted with her permission
Subject: The life and death of a racehorse, and the chilling implications
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2012 09:23:03 -0800
The Life and Death of Silky Shark, a Racehorse
In July 2011, a Standardbred U.S. racehorse named Silky Shark died in a Quebec slaughterhouse.
The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition tracked the evidence, showing that Silky Shark had been administered phenylbutazone (a deadly drug that must never enter the food chain) and subsequently slipped through the system undetected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Jack Rodolico of Latitude News has produced an exemplary account of the fate of this beautiful horse – Silky Shark’s life in the racing industry, how he fell through the cracks, and what chilling implications his death holds in terms of animal protection and food safety.
Links to articles and podcasts are below.
The full magazine feature and podcast: http://www.latitudenews.com/story/the-shady-trade-in-american-horsemeat/
A short version aired on the American radio program Marketplace: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/drugged-american-horsemeat-sold-europe
A slightly longer version aired on Harvest Public Media’s network of public radio stations throughout the American Midwest: http://harvestpublicmedia.org/article/1544/drugged-horsemeat-us-showing-europe/5
A medium-length text version on The Week: http://theweek.com/article/index/237968/the-shady-trade-in-american-horsemeat
CHDC’s report, Proof of CFIA Failure: http://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/proof-of-cfia-failure/
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