In The Media
“The Kill Pen” by KNOE News Exposes Kill Pen Operations
We were thrilled to see not only the Stanley Brothers’ operations but also the issue of horse slaughter brought before the public by KNOE 8 News in Louisiana. The exposé “The Kill Pen” by KNOE Reporter Tim Bragg, aired in two parts, will surely raise awareness on the inherent cruelty and predatory nature of the horse slaughter industry. We at Animals’ Angels were pleased to be able to assist Mr. Bragg with his research into the Stanley Brothers and just how kill pens and kill buyers operate, as well as what happens “behind the scenes” for horses caught in the slaughter pipeline. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Tim Bragg and KNOE 8 News for airing this detailed report and bringing much needed attention to such an important concern.
To watch the news report, click on the links below.
From The Inside Rein: Animals’ Angels, an investigative agency dedicated to animal rights, has announced a sharp decline in horsemeat imports to the European Union and Switzerland from Canada. The organization reports that from January to August 2016, horse meat exports to France, Belgium, and Switzerland from Canada was 27.8 million CAD, a nearly 50% drop from 54 million CAD during the same period in 2015.
As a result of this decreased demand, Animals’ Angels also reports that, according to Canadian import/export data, there’s been a 27% decline of horses imported to Canada from the United States year-to-date.
Dozens of dogs can be seen crammed in a pen, left in the hot sun without food or water, in a recent video taken at a Texas flea market. In other shots, puppies are packed into small wire crates.
The footage was taken by Animals' Angels, a Maryland-based welfare group that conducted an investigation at the First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas, this spring after being contacted by several concerned locals.
"They said that they'd seen a lot of insufficient cages for the animals, especially for the birds, that there were birds crammed into rusted wire cages, too many birds in one cage," Sonja Meadows, the founder and lead investigator of Animals' Angels, told The Dodo. "Then they complained about dogs being sick, dogs being without water in the hot summer heat. And horses being sold with bad feet."
New Holland, PA – A severely abused horse was brought to the New Holland Sales Stables to be sold at the weekly horse auction on March 21. The horse had hooves so long they were curling up, one of its eyes was so infected it was swollen shut, and the entire horse was covered with lice. An auction worker noticed investigators with Animals’ Angels documenting the horse’s condition. The worker grabbed the horse, led it to the back, shot it, and the horse was dumped in a large dumpster. Animals’ Angels reported “It is also concerning that action was taken only when auction workers realized that the horse had been seen by investigators, at which point it was shot rather than being attended to by a vet.”
We want to thank Gina McKnight, an animal advocate and talented author who contributes to a variety of publications, for writing this wonderful article about AA’s Founder and Director, Sonja Meadows which originally appeared in the magazine Florida Equine Athlete, and can now be found at Ms. McKnight’s own popular blog Riding & Writing.
We greatly appreciate the awareness that Ms. McKnight can bring to the issue of horse slaughter as well as her ability to illustrate the very purpose behind Animals’ Angels – why we do what we do. To help protect the animals – seek justice for those who have been neglected or abused – and create change for those who have yet to enter the pipeline.
We’re glad to see that the issue of horse slaughter is getting notice in a reputable publication such as the San Antonio Express-News. It is especially necessary to raise awareness of the stark realities of the horse slaughter pipeline to the audience in Texas where the export pens are located. Kudos to journalist John MacCormack for doing a story on this very important issue.
We were gratified to see our work in the EU recognized as we have worked diligently on our EU Campaign for quite some time. “We flew to Brussels and I met with the European Commission myself,” said Sonja Meadows, founder of the Maryland-based group.
It was also heartening to see that the facts about slaughter as well as the truth behind the conditions at the Presidio export pens were also accurately portrayed in the article.
“The Presidio slaughter horse export pens in Texas have a long, sordid history of violating environmental laws, illegal carcass dumping and animal cruelty,” Animals’ Angels wrote in one recent assessment.
You can read the downloaded PDF version of the article here.
Animals’ Angels, an investigative agency dedicated to animal rights, has released their findings from a two-year investigation into “killer buyer” Mike McBarron of Forney, TX.
The organization alleges that McBarron, owner of M and M Livestock and M and M Farms (a trucking company), has repeatedly violated The Commercial Transport of Equines to Slaughter Act. Additionally, they documented poor conditions at McBarron’s Forney collecting station.
The 2015 Equus Film Festival in New York last month was an amazing event and Animals’ Angels was thrilled to attend. It was exciting to meet so many dedicated advocates, all fighting for the same important cause – to end the slaughter of our horses once and for all. In addition to having participated in or provided extensive footage for three outstanding films included at this year's Equus Film Festival (Saving America's Horses, Kill Pen, and Their Last Ride), Animals’ Angels was also a member of The Horse Defenders’ Panel. We appreciated this wonderful opportunity to discuss our horse slaughter investigations in front of a highly interactive audience. It’s imperative to reach out to new audiences and seasoned advocates alike in every possible venue. For anyone who would like to see and hear the Panel discussion, just follow the link below for the video.
Sonja Meadows, founder of Animals’ Angels, an animal welfare group that conducts equine slaughter investigations throughout North America – including one involving Moore’s auction in Lebanon, Pennsylvania--said kill buyers across the U.S., doing exactly what Moore does, cash in on the animal-loving public which envisions happy endings for all horses. Meadows urges anyone thinking about rescuing a horse from slaughter to go to an auction and bid against the kill buyers or donate to a reputable, non-profit rescue dedicated to caring for abused and neglected horses.
Sonja Meadows reached carefully through the slats of the dingy, white horse van and gently grabbed the lip of the frightened-looking Thoroughbred.
Working quickly, she flipped the chestnut’s lip, revealing the bright pink flesh underneath, and a tattoo identifying him as a racehorse.
Snapping a picture of the partial serial number, 1-2-8-2, Meadows worked quickly from the parking lot of the New Holland Auction, a livestock facility where horses are routinely sold into the slaughter pipeline.