New Law Will Protect Horses From Slaughter NBC Miami2.flv

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New Law Will Protect Horses From Slaughter
Legislation will make slaughter by horse owners a felony in Florida
By JEFF BURNSIDE
Updated 8:27 AM EDT, Tue, Apr 27, 2010

In an effort to help curb the black market for human consumption of
horse meat, a new Florida law is headed to the governor for signing
that'll make it a felony to butcher your own horse.

The law is named The Yvonne Rodriguez Horse Protection Law after one
of the victims of the wave of horse slaughters that gripped Miami-Dade
ranch owners throughout most of last year.

The NBCMiami investigation into the slaughters uncovered grisly sights:
more than 22 horses slaughtered, often stolen, sometimes killed right in
their stalls, for human consumption.

Authorities acted early this year. Just after dawn on January 12th, an
army of regulators and police deployed to shut down slaughter farms and
everything that went along with the years of lax enforcement in the area
of Northwest Miami-Dade County known as the C-9 Basin or the lawless
region.

Days before the raid, NBCMiami cameras found slaughter farms operating
openly. Those same properties are now leveled - every building, every
shack gone. Other properties are still under enforcement action. Even
illegal fill dirt is being ordered dug up and removed from what zoning
and planning authorities said is suppose to be wetlands adjacent to the
Everglades.

Many people who live and work in the C-9 Basin are not happy about it,
accusing the government of conspiring to take their land for wealthy
condo developers, even though the land cannot be used for anything but
wetlands or growing crops.

"I think it's ridiculous!" said animal investigator Richard Couto, who
pressured authorities to take action. "For me to go out there and see
some of these buildings being cleaned up, it was one of the better days
of my life, to be honest."

If Couto fought the slaughter farms, Yvonne Rodriguez was their victim.

Last year, Rodriguez was extremely distraught after her horse Geronimo
was stolen, taken right from his coral.

"I just want him back, no questions asked said a desperate Rodriguez
back then. Her horse was found just hours later, a mile down the country
road tied to a palm tree and butchered alive. Rodriguez said that she
was living a nightmare, but that she hoped something good would come out
of the misery.

It did.

Now she has a state law named after her: The Yvonne Rodriguez Horse
Protection law. Once signed by Gov. Crist, it'll be a felony to butcher
your own horse, which had been a loophole in the law where butchers
claim the horses are their own, and therefore legal.

The law won't bring back their horses but owners like Rodriguez said
they'll never forget their animals.

"[I think about him] all the time. I have his picture at work,"
Rodriguez said. "It'll always be there."

After months of mourning, Rodriguez finally got back in the saddle: she
has a new horse.

There are still more illegal slaughter farms in other parts of the
county, police said. More crackdowns and more arrests are expected.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Horse slaughter
• florida

[1857lee]

contact obama say no your taxes are sending these horses to mexico and canada. it is a sick but notice its mexicans who are doing it,

[16nwb]

baustard for killing animals horse meAT SHOULD BE BANNED

[dburrigh]

I'm glad that law got passed. Beth, you need to set your comment page up so that you can avoid trolls like the one who commented here. I usually set it so that comments need my approval.

[BreezyRulez]

@theamazingplant2 and WHY do you think that? I think its terrible....

[theamazingplant2]

i honestly think that the law is shit. i hope this woman is killed and the governor fired