Horse Slaughterhouses May Re-open in U.S.

A change in legislative language could lead to the re-opening of horse slaughter plants in the United States.  Five years ago federal funding for the inspection of horse meat for human consumption was eliminated. The United States Department of Agriculture oversaw the inspections.  However, on Nov. 18 President Obama signed into law a broader bill that restores the funding. According to published reports, such action could end the “ban” on horse slaughter brought about by the lack of funding.  In recent years the three remaining slaughter plants shut their doors. Federal legislation actually banning the process of horse slaughter has failed to pass Congress.  The legislation is tied to a federal General Accountability Office report from earlier this year. The report concluded, among other things, that the ban on horse slaughter has led to increased cases of horse abuse.
The report, called “Horse Welfare: Act Needed to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter,” was directed by Congress. The report, released in June, said the slaughter market shifted to Canada and Mexico; from 2006 to 2010 horse exports for slaughter jumped 148% to Canada and 660% to Mexico.  The report also addressed horse welfare.

Please contact your Senators and Representatives in Congress and urge them to BAN the process of horse slaughtering in the United States!  Use the US Postal Service, e-mail, and/or the telephone...

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The rust-colored coyote has been seen every day since Thanksgiving in the neighborhood where I walk dogs and house-sit.  And, on the east end of the Boulder Creek Path, one of the Boulder Open Space Officers shot and killed a coyote that had started lunging at bicyclists, and, at the time of it's death, was trailing a couple with a young child, who were on an adjacent nature trail.
Lovey and Nedi are enjoying what I know is their last day of freedom for a while...  There is an Arctic cold front on it's way; it was breezy this morning when I took Rosie and Remy out, and the wind is expected to grow as the front nears.  All the local weather folks are saying that our high tomorrow, forecast as 22 degrees, will occur soon after midnight, and that the temperature will continue to slowly drop throughout the day.  They say that the low Thursday night/Friday morning will be 4; and that we won't get much higher than freezing through Monday.  -  If the kits really want to go out, I'll let them go, but I'm pretty sure they won't stay out long, once tomorrow arrives.   And I did get some shelled nuts for the squirrels and larger birds, as it's also supposed to snow, too.
At least I have plenty of books to read, and work to do on the family trees!!