Horse slaughters have Miami-area owners on edge

[BlueJessamine]

Source: Associated Press

MIAMI — Someone is killing the horses of Miami-Dade County.

Since January, police say at least 17 horses have been butchered, their carcasses left on roadsides or in stalls or rural pastures.

Police tiptoe around questions about who is doing the killing and why, but animal rights advocates believe the meat is being sold on the black market to people from other countries where horse is a delicacy.

"It's a real ugly problem we're trying to take hold of and eliminate," said Richard Couto, an investigator with the South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which has recently looked into six horse killings. "Extremely, extremely difficult to find the people that are doing the slaughtering."


Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hMMg2KGp0r4Wby-rFg9-RXNGWtwgD99PC1000

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The killings have continued, the latest over the weekend. On Monday, Couto stood over a horse carcass with about 200 pounds of meat removed. Its owner found it butchered over the weekend, its cappuccino-colored foal alive and still nuzzled against its body.

Black market activity:

Miami-Dade Police Capt. Scott Andress, whose agency is among those investigating the horse slaughters, said the cases are tough to solve because they usually happen in rural areas where there are no eyewitnesses. He said his officers are working to confirm whether the horse meat is being sold to consumers.

[thunder rising]

1. Horses? Nobody wants to talk about cattle rustling at all.

[The Stranger]

2. " . . . its cappuccino-colored foal alive and still nuzzled against its body."

[comtec]

3. that is fucking sick

kill the mother, leave the foal alive.. oh gods that poor thing =[

[MetaTrope]

4. PNAC Sacrificial Offerings

At least until Jenna grows another "appendix".

[doodadem]

5. I don't get this

Horse meat a delicacy? Its more like common fare in France and Japan. Its more likely that the meat is being packaged and sold as beef to people who don't know any better. They should be checking local butcher shops. I can't read the article. We thought this kind of thievery would disappear with the demise of the the slaughter factories. The sad thing is, there is a dearth of unwanted horses out there right now, because people can't afford to feed them anymore. But there's no meat on their bones. These assholes are obviously going for well-cared for animals.

We had rash of dog-knappings around here a few years ago. They were being stolen right out of people's yards, sometimes grabbed in front the kids. It was suspected they were being sold to the local Hmong population.

[awoke_in_2003]

6. No, there is a black market for it here...

because whenever any one raises horses for the purpose of meat production, people go crazy- like there is some kind of difference between slaughtering horses and cows. So, since they can't be raised for meat production, a black market takes its place, and the vultures come out and do things like this.

[Devil_Fish]

8. ironic isn't it?

We get all up in arms when some one eats a dog, cat, or horse, but couldn't care less about some one eating a cow, pig, or chicken. just bizzare us humans.

[Eryemil]

9. Indeed. n|t

[and-justice-for-all]

7. That's terrible...nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. That's sick. Killing someone's pet for meat