The maker of Premarin, Wyeth-Ayerst, a drug division of global giant American Home Products, and the PMU industry insist that the manufacture of Premarin is not cruel, but just a form of profitable horse husbandry. You be the judge.
The Premarin Mares
To produce Premarin, an estimated 35,000 mares are forced to stand in barns throughout Canada and parts of the Midwestern United States for about six months out of every year with urine collection devices strapped onto them.Even by the self-serving standards of corporations, Wyeth-Ayerst's suggested (but not mandated) 4 1/2-foot wide stalls for pregnant draft horses weighing up to 1700 are ungenerous. The stalls are deliberately kept narrow to prevent pregnant mares from turning or lying down with their legs stretched out for fear the collection cups will become detached as the urine is "harvested." And, worse yet, many of these mares get little or no exercise for the six months they are forced to stand in the barns. (The most recent "voluntary" Code of Practice for the industry states that the mares only be exercised on an as-needed basis.)
Their water intake also is regulated and restricted, all of which can lead to swollen legs, sore hooves and other health problems. And then, when these mares are too tired, too old or too surly to stand on the "pee lines," their reward is the auctions and a likely trip to the slaughterhouse.
The Premarin Foals
The story is just as tragic for the Premarin foals. The PMU farmers and Wyeth-Ayerst would like us to believe that the estimated 35,000 foals resulting from these pregnancies are sold as companion animals. A very few may be and a few more fillies are allowed to grow up and replace their worn-out mothers. However, most, especially the male colts, are weaned too early, taken to auction where they're sold by the pound to killer-buyers, fattened in feed lots and then sent straight to slaughter.There, these sensitive, highly social young animals are made to wait their turn for death with the smell of blood in their nostrils and the sound of horses screaming in their ears. And for what? So that Wyeth-Ayerst can sell their animal-based hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Premarin when there is plant-based HRT available. And so that restaurants in France and Japan can serve foal steaks to connoisseurs of cruelty! (Foal steak sells for up to $15 a pound in some Paris butcher shops.) United Animal Nations
Premarin mares standing in their "pee" lines
Equilin
Equilin is an estrogen from horses with the chemical name 3-hydroxyestra-1,3,5,7-tetraen-17-one. Equilin is one of the estrogens present in the mixture of estrogens isolated from horse urine and marketed as Premarin. Premarin became the most commonly used form of estrogen for hormone replacement therapy in the United States of America. Estrone is the major estrogen in Premarin (about 50%) and equilin is present as about 25% of the total. Estrone is a major estrogen that is normally found in women. Equilin is not normally present in women, so there has been interest in the effects of equilin on the human body. Wikipedia-Estrogens-Equilin
The slaughter house - final destination for tens of thousands of foals due to the drug Premarin
Get the facts about horse slaughter
Each year an estimated 90,000 horses are slaughtered in the United States and processed for human consumption. In addition, many thousands of live horses are transported across the border to Canada for slaughter. After these horses are killed, their flesh is shipped to Europe and Asia for human consumption. Their owners are often totally unaware of the pain, fear, and suffering their horses endure before being slaughtered.
Who eats horse meat?
Horse meat is not eaten in the United States; it is exported to serve specialty markets overseas. The largest markets are France, Belgium, Holland, Japan, and Italy. The only three horse slaughter plants in the United States are foreign-owned.
Most horses destined for slaughter are sold at livestock auctions or sales. The cruelty of horse slaughter is not limited to the act of killing the animals. Horses bound for slaughter are shipped, frequently for long distances, in a manner that fails to accommodate their unique temperaments. They are usually not rested, fed, or watered during travel. Economics, not humane considerations, dictate the conditions, including crowding as many horses into trucks as possible.
Often, terrified horses and ponies are crammed together and transported to slaughter in double-deck trucks designed for cattle and pigs. The truck ceilings are so low that the horses are not able to hold their heads in a normal, balanced position. Inappropriate floor surfaces lead to slips and falls, and sometimes even trampling. Some horses arrive at the slaughterhouse seriously injured or dead. Although transportation accidents have largely escaped public scrutiny, several tragic incidents involving collapsed upper floors and overturned double-deckers have caused human fatalities, as well as suffering and death for the horses.
How are they killed?
Under federal law, horses are required to be rendered unconscious prior to slaughter, usually with a device called a captive bolt gun, which shoots a metal rod into the horse's brain. Some horses, however, are improperly stunned and are conscious when they are hoisted by a rear leg to have their throats cut. In addition, conditions in the slaughterhouse are stressful and frightening for horses.
How can you help?
Individuals can support organizations such as The HSUS that work toward the goal of ending horse slaughter. One of our goals is to reduce the callous overbreeding of both sport horses and pleasure horses so that older, injured or surplus animals will no longer be viewed as expendable. A reduced number of surplus horses would result in a sharp decline in the profits of the horse meat industry because the cost of obtaining each horse would rise due to decreased availability. This would force slaughterhouses to scale down their operations and eventually shut down. Horse owners should think carefully before breeding a mare and consider adopting their next horse from an equine rescue organization.
Horse owners can plan for their animal's eventual death by setting aside funds for humane euthanasia by a veterinarian, if it becomes necessary. Menopausal women on hormone replacement therapy can ask their doctors to prescribe one of the many safe and effective, FDA-approved alternatives to Premarin®. (Contact The HSUS for a free brochure detailing these alternatives.) Finally, individuals can work within their home states to pass laws that afford stronger protections for slaughter-bound horses.
HSUS
We have purchased 6 acres and are starting a small horse rescue here in Oklahoma. You can help us get started by donating even a dollar to help us BUILD A BARN! We have also set up a fund to help save mares and foals that we can't rescue and help them find safe, forever, homes. Thank you!
Check out the view!
Help us rescue Premarin horses by clicking the Paypal button below to make a safe & secure donation!
The two Texas facilities shut down after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit Court upheld a 1949 Texas law that prohibits the sale of horsemeat. A separate decision affirming Congress' intent in the FY06 Agriculture Appropriations language to prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from inspecting horsemeat from slaughtering facilities shut down the Illinois plant for a time. In May, the state of Illinois enacted a ban on horse slaughter, shutting down Cavel International, the last operating plant in the country. Cavel International sought to delay its inevitable closure by obtaining a temporary restraining order, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit upheld the State of Illinois' decision to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption. With all three horse slaughter plants in the U.S. now closed, passage of a permanent slaughter ban to prohibit American horses from being trucked over the border for slaughter is crucial.
Horses are still being crowded into trucks, enduring hours without food, water and rest, and driven to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 311), introduced in the U.S. House by Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), John Spratt (D-SC), Ed Whitfield (R-KY), and Nick Rahall (D-WV), and in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and John Ensign (R-NV), closes this loophole and prevents the exportation of American horses to slaughter plants in foreign countries. It also ensures that horse slaughter is permanently banned in the United States.
Source: HSUS
WARNING: The following videos are graphic
Map of slaughter houses
Dallas Crown Slaughterhouse located in Kaufman, Tx
Dallas Crown Company Information
Dallas Crown, Inc.
2000 West Fair
Kaufman, Texas 75142
Telephone (972) 932-3436
Fax (972) 932-3062
E-mail sales@dallascrown.com www.dallascrown.com
Beltex Corporation Company Information
Beltex Corporation
3801 N. Grove St.
Fort Worth, TX 76106
PH:817-624-1136
Fax:817-624-4594
President: Eric Nauwelaers
VP: Dick Koehler
Controller: Dennis O'Brien
Cavel International Incorporated Company Information
Cavel International Incorporated
108 Harvestore Dr
Dekalb, IL 60115
PH:(815)756-8051
On September 14, 2007, Wisconsin activst Amy Burns sent out a circular urging her readers to go to the Baltimore Sun to join in what is destined to be one of its hottest forums ever, a war of minds over the "sport" of hunting, with emphasis on bow-hunting. While her readers began pondering, comments from the pro-hunting side came in hard and fast. "America's most-hated Anti" Anthony Marr jumped in head first, and so did leading anti-huntresses Tierra and Mamasita. Amazingly, the battle is still raging as we speak, more than two years later in November 23, 2009! The total number of comments so far has exceeded 93,000, and growing. This is a phenomenon, and destined to be a classic, not to be missed if you care about animals at all.
Calcutta sounds like a fable in a song, but in reality, it is where John, my colleague and successor, was murdered. He was on the job for only three days when he got his throat slashed. As an undercover investigator targeting the illegal wildlife trade, especially in tiger parts, his real name was unknown, even to me, nor mine to him. We were just John and James to each other. All I know is that he was Chinese American, while his predecessor James - real name Anthony Marr - is Chinese Canadian, and how sincere he was in helping to save the Bengal tiger from being poached out of existence, while its habitat continues to dwindle due to human pressure...
We do have a barbarian at the gate, a demon lurking in the ground, frozen there for eons, now being thawed and released into the living world, where it will roast life alive. If you want to really scare yourself silly, watch this 50 minute video in one go. Turn off the light, and the phone..
Put my dog, Jasmine to sleep today. She was 9, would of been 10 in Dec. She was still breathing so had to give her another shot, the vet said she was a strong dog, her heart was strong, but it seemed the tumors were effecting her breathing. I feel like I let her down. The vet said I was doing the right thing, but I felt terrible! She had mass cell tumors, had a softball sized tumor removed on her chest and it started growing back 6 months later. She wasnt eating well, thought she was dying last night at home, her breathing was so labored. They said she had two months or less to live, the tumors were in her lymph nodes and spreading. Before going to the vet I took her for one last walk. I miss her so much, I can't stand it... You can see her in my pictures. She is a big black and white dog She was such a sweet and wonderful dog, I'm so glad I have capichino, my other dog to put my arms around. But my heart aches for my baby Jasmine .
After you've finished here, you may like to hear this poem sung on myspace...
Poem 162 of 230, WalkaboutsVerse (please see my blog): TEES TO TYNE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS - SUMMER 2001
Where traditions are not so rare; Sea, country and works scent the air; A multitude of monuments, Planted tubs and patterned pavements.
The longish pedestrian malls; The remnants of defensive walls; Historic buildings are a gauge Of the respect for heritage.
Wheat, rape and pines in the fields; Estuaries guarded by shields; Long sandy beaches and wide scenes; Romantic-ruin go-betweens.
Rivers in parts licked by trees, Or fringed by boat clubs, wharfs, gantries, And crossed by practical delights - Varied spans, forming pleasing sights.
Fine churches headed at Durham; Football kits ad infinitum; Kept castles - one for study; Masonry behind masonry.
And, with moulding-works out that way, It’s somewhere for a longer stay..?
Sinikka Crosland, President of The Responsible Animal Care Society (TRACS), leading and winning activist in British Columbia, who has a thing or two to show her American counterparts, will join Anthony Marr this Friday on Animal Voices to talk about this and other issues.
Animal Voices is aired every Friday 3-4pm ET/12-1pm PT: - global: online live at www.CoopRadio.org - radio: CFRO Radio 102.7FM Vancouver + 17 stations in BC, Canada. - archived in www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr - call-in # 604- 684- 7561
Anthony Marr will be telling more fascinating tiger tales, and discussing how to save life on Earth, this coming Friday on Animal Voices. Animal Voices is aired every Friday 3-4pm ET/12-1pm PT: - global: online live at www.CoopRadio.org - radio: CFRO Radio 102.7FM Vancouver + 17 stations in BC, Canada. - archived in www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr - call-in # 604- 684- 7561
When I was in Africa a couple of decades ago, I camped for a stretch in the territory of a lion pride comprising 3 males, 10 females and 22 cubs.
The 3 pride-males, named Agamemnon, Achilles and Hector (AAH), were about 6 years of age and very much in their prime. Their 22 cubs were thriving under their protection - protection against predators,
and the coalition of four 4-year-old prideless bachelors, who had been loitering in the neighborhood.
Due to the superior fighting prowess of AAH, they had been kicking the butts of the Gang of Four (GOF), so far. If the GOF drove out or killed AAH, they would kill all their cubs so that the lionesses would have cubs bearing their genes. AAH would be able to repel GOF for another couple of years, which was a fairly stable long term scenario in lion terms. What was unforeseen was that a trophy hunter killed Achilles.
Now with only Agamemnon and Hector holding the fort, they were no match for the GOF. Valiantly, AH tried to defend their offspring, but it was a matter of fighting to the last cub before they both were killed. The 10 lionesses became the spoils of war. And so, a new leonine dynasty was born. But through it all, 25 lives were loss, all due to one single bullet fired by one egomaniacal trophy hunter. Shame on Safari Club International! And shame on you Mr. President, for support hunting.
Dolphin brains are larger than ours (1600 CC vs1450 CC). Who are we to say what they can or cannot think? Anthony Marr's latest creation: [Conversation with a Dolphin], was the jewel of last Friday's Animal Voices talkshow.
will be Anthony Marr's guests on Animal Voices this Friday, when we will be charting a course for humanity.
Animal Voices is aired every Friday 3-4pm ET/12-1pm PT: - global: online live at www.CoopRadio.org - radio: CFRO Radio 102.7FM Vancouver + 17 stations in BC, Canada. - archived in www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr - call-in # 604- 684- 7561
Which of the following 3 alternatives would you wish for these fawns?
If you prefer the 3rd alternative, please join the Anti-Hunting-Alliance (AHA) currently being forged by Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE - www.HOPE-CARE.org), which initially will seek to accomplish the following:
1. Support local campaigns against the culling and bow-hunting of deer in urban, suburban and park environments.
2. Integrate the local deer-battles into a national Deer War.
3. Launch massive internet and media campaigns on local and national levels.
4. Launch federal-level class-action legal challenges against the state-level Hunter Harassment laws for violating the freedom of speech and property rights of non-hunters and anti-hunters as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution (listen to the Jan Haagensen interview by Anthony Marr on Animal Voices in www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr).
There will be a higher aim with the success of some or all of the above objectives: To terminate Recreational Hunting and Trophy Hunting, period.
Please contact Anthony Marr via MS messaging or email (Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org) and let's roll!
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Autumn has always been loved. But lately, sadly, I've heard cries of "They've made me hate the fall!", due to the annual bloodbath of deer. To sooth your frazzled nerves, let me share with you [Nocturnal Meditation: a gift of peace] - music by Chopin (Nocturne in E-flat) and Massenet (Meditation, performed by Anne Sophie Mutter); photography by Anthony Marr. If you have already seen/heard it, be enchanted all over again, and pass it on.
Descending from the sublime to the ridiculous, a hunter addressed me as "Dear Rush Limbaugh of Animal Rights". Haha! No thanks. But if Limbaugh can do it on his medieval mindset, so can I on my futuristic one. This coming Friday, 3-4pm ET/12-1pm PT, on Animal Voices, I will just bare my soul, open my heart, and speak my mind. And you are invited to do likewise. Just call 1- 604- 684- 7561, and speak your mind.
Just to let you know it was not a plantars wart, but a callous laying against a bone on the ball of my foot, it is something i have to deal with, but glad it wasnt a plantars wart!!! And i got through the mole removal with no problems, all that worrying for nothing, hehehe. It is a cold rainy blustery day but i love it, I LOVE FALL!!! Thank-you for all the well wishes and prayers. I am so glad to have you as a friend, you are special to me. Hope you are blessed beyond your hopes and dreams. Have a wonderful weekend Love Steph JESUS LOVE SHINES
Anthony will be interviewed by Tracy Zuber Friday on Animal Voices - on the plight of the tiger and his tiger conservation work in America and Asia. Animal Voices is aired every Friday 3-4pm ET/12-1pm PT: global online live at www.CoopRadio.org / radio CFRO 102.7FM Vancouver + 17 stations in BC / archived in www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr / 1-604- 684- 7561
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