The New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden has become a champion of race horses, covering the racing industry time and again from the standpoint of the harm it does the animals. His column today discusses horse slaughter. Before I write more about that column I want to call attention to a piece in the April 20 edition of Sports Illustrated. That magazine has not been traditionally known for its coverage of animal welfare issues, but it won a Genesis Award recently for its outstanding cover story, in December, on the Vick pitbulls. How wonderful to see the magazine focus on the neglect of racing horses in an article, by Mark Beech, headed "Breeding Neglect: A prominent owner is charged with animal cruelty."
Beech discusses the sad state of the horses belonging to Ernie Paragallo, who until now had a good reputation in the racing industry. It tells us:
"Last month an equine rescue organization found four undernourished horses owned by Paragallo in a New York kill pen, the final stop before the slaughterhouse."
You'll find the article on line at: http://tinyurl.com/c6paa8
With the Kentucky Derby coming up this weekend it is the perfect time to send off a letter to the editor thanking Sports Illustrated for another story focusing on animal cruelty issues, and sharing your own take on horseracing. The magazine takes letter at letters@SI.timeinc.com . My thanks go to Andrew Umphries for making sure we knew about the piece.
Rhoden's column today, Friday May 1, is headed "Ignoble Endings Far From Winner's Circle." (pg B11.)
Rhoden reminds us of the recent racing deaths of Barbaro and Eight Belles then tells us:
"But in-competition breakdowns, dramatic as they are, account for only a fraction of the total deaths generated by the industry. The most significant source of racehorse deaths is the slaughter industry, one driven by overbreeding and demand from the lucrative global meat market. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, more than 100,000 American horses are slaughtered each year in Canada and Mexico to satisfy horse meat markets in Europe and Asia. "
You'll find Rhoden's terrific column on line at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/sports/othersports/01rhoden.html
You can thank him for the piece at wcr@nytimes.com
Forward it to your friends, especially those watching the Kentucky Derby this weekend.
The article offers a perfect opportunity for letters to the editor about the abuse of animals for human entertainment. Send them to letters@nytimes.com
Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read reviews and see a fun celeb-studded video and an NBC news piece on Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of 2008."
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Date: Fri May 1 18:05:39 2009
