April 2022

“… two horses required humane euthanasia due to the consequences of exhaustion due to their pain, discomfort and stress during the trip which exasperated (sic) their conditions. These horses should have not been transported or should have been transported as compromised animals with special provisions.”

The above statements were included in a Causal Link statement recently released through Access to Information, regarding an incident which occurred following the transport of eight horses to a federally licensed horse slaughter establishment in July 2021.

From the Non-Compliance description report, we learn some of the details surrounding this incident.

On Sunday, July 18, 2021, an unidentified individual transported nine “slaughter horses” in a 54’ ground load trailer, from a feedlot to a privately owned property located approximately 3 miles from the slaughter plant. The transport time was between 4-5 hours, the distance travelled was approximately 370 km.

One horse was reported to have been found deceased in a pen on this property the next day (Monday), with foam seen coming out of his/her nostrils. The cause of death is unknown. (No document was obtained that contained any description of any hazards the horses could have been exposed to at this site. Despite this, the remaining eight horses were delivered to the slaughter plant the next day, without knowing the cause of this horse’s death).

On Tuesday, July 20, the eight remaining horses were delivered to the slaughter plant by a second individual, in two loads due to their condition. However, they were unloaded in the same pen, together, with no special provisions applied. (HAR s140 (1))

The horses were one or two years of age and were described by the individual transporting them as ”cripples” or ”canners”.

There was no overnight monitoring of the horses. Early the next morning (Wednesday) one horse was found down with his legs trapped under the fence. That he had paddled enough to smooth out the dirt in his attempts to rise suggests he had been down and suffered for some time. Unable to get up, he was humanely euthanized (shot).

Later that morning, another horse from this group went down, in the alley of the slaughter plant. After being unable to stand, he too was shot and killed.

These nine horses were said to be raised specifically for slaughter, for the live export market. The Equine Information Documents indicate each had a double bar (=) brand on their right thigh. This brand is registered in Alberta to Willjill Farms Inc., St. Thomas, Ontario and a company we have reported about previously.

The video clip seen below (in regular speed and slow motion) clearly shows the degree of lameness and pain experienced by these horses. Transport for many hours would have been unbearable.

 

Our full report can be found here.

All supporting documents are available upon request by sending an e-mail to

info@defendhorsescanada.org. with “Unfit For Export “in the subject line.

To learn more about horse slaughter in Canada and the export of live horses for slaughter please visit our website, YouTube channel, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.