AWI Press Release: The Face of American Horse Slaughter: Shady Dealer Shifts Species but Modus Operandi Remains Unchanged

Washington, DC (January 23, 2012) – Some politicians in Washington feel that restarting a horse slaughter industry on American soil is a good idea. We’d like to offer a small window into how the horse slaughter industry currently operates, as shady players make deals amongst themselves while duping innocent people into giving up their horses to be butchered.  Read on…

A story recently surfaced about a 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman, Kelsey Lefever, who faces felony charges after allegedly collecting over 120 retired racehorses from well-meaning owners, promising them she would find good homes for the horses.  Her intention all along, however, was to sell them to killer buyers. Their “good homes” turned out to be a slaughterhouse in Canada, where they met with a gruesome death in order to become a “delicacy” at restaurants abroad. In the police report, a witness indicates that Lefever told her, "I killed every one of those (expletive) horses—over 120 of them. If they only knew, every one of them is dead."

Her middleman is alleged to be one Bruce Rotz, Jr., who operates his killer buyer business from barns in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.  He is under contract to buy horses for the Canadian meat company Viande Richelieu.

Long before Rotz was a killer buyer, however, the Rotz family gained notoriety via another avenue of animal abuse: as Class B dealers. Rotz worked for his father, Bruce Rotz, Sr., who acquired dogs via an illicit supply chain and made tens of thousands of dollars a year selling the poor victims—many of whom were likely former companion animals—to research facilities for experimentation.

As dog dealers, the Rotzes had numerous run-ins with the law.  The elder Rotz was fined $1,240 in 2005 for failing to meet minimum requirements under the Animal Welfare Act.  The Rotzes acquired many of the dogs they sold from a family of notorious dealers in Missouri whose license was eventually revoked and a fine imposed for violations of the federal law, including failing to keep accurate records on hundreds of the dogs they sold.

In 2006, Bruce Rotz Sr. let his license to operate as a random source dog dealer expire, and he sold his business. Although Bruce Rotz, Jr. continued to work for the new owner for a while, he was already moving on to horses by then. Though he’s shifted species from dogs to horses, Rotz’s methods appear to be the same.  He is part of a dirty business where animals come to him from questionable sources, and he sells them for profit.  He frequents the nearby New Holland horse auction to acquire horses, including former racehorses, for the trade in their meat.  Recently, according to the criminal investigation, Rotz bought horses from Ms. Lefever.

Rotz doesn’t appear to be any more concerned with where the horses come from than he was with the dogs—and because he is once removed from the known illegal activity, he appears to be successfully ducking prosecution.  While Lefever faces prosecution for her fraudulent acquisition of the horses, Rotz remains free—a fine example of the sort of individual poised to take a lead role in a revised American horse slaughter industry.

“This makes you wonder why some Members of Congress are fighting so hard to restore an industry filled with crooked individuals like Rotz and Lefever, while thumbing their noses at those responsible owners who lost their horses into slaughter against their will,” said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs for AWI.  “Thankfully, the majority of legislators are supporting passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act which would protect horses from corrupt profiteers.”

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For more information:

Chris Heyde, chris@awionline.org, (202) 446-2142

AWI Press Release: Handful of Legislators Condemn Horses to USDA Approved Abuse

Washington, D.C. (November 15, 2011) – It would appear that some in Congress are all talk when it comes to seriously reducing federal spending and decreasing the size of  government.  Despite overwhelming objections from the American public and the horse community, and despite Congress’ own supposed belief in fiscal restraint, the fate of America’s horses was undermined by three Members of Congress and their staffs behind closed doors this week.  For years, an amendment to the annual Agriculture Appropriations bill has prevented tax dollars from being used to “inspect” horse slaughter facilities in the U.S.   The House of Representatives voted this year to again include it in the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill, but three members of the Conference Committee, Representative Jack Kingston (R-GA),  Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), and Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), removed it from the final bill.  A fourth member of the Conference Committee, Representative Sam Farr (D-CA), was the lone objector.

“I have been in Washington for a long time and this move baffles me.  Both parties talked about making the hard cuts in federal spending and yet behind closed doors, three of the four men thought it was a good use of taxpayer dollars to ignore their colleagues and restore a federal program that will cost Americans at least $5 million a year and pull limited USDA inspectors from ensuring the humane treatment and safety of our nation’s food supply. To make matters worse, this was all done to appease a few foreign companies and Big Ag,” said Chris Heyde, deputy director of AWI’s government and legal affairs department.  “This action shows the true nature of some elected officials—that they are more concerned about helping special interests than doing what they were elected to do.”

Some legislators are trying to disguise what they did as helping the horses, but there is substantial evidence of horses suffering at taxpayers’ expense when slaughter was permitted in the U.S. While a recent GAO report attempted to connect an increase in abuse to a cessation of horse slaughter in the U.S., the authors noted that there was no actual proof other than claims put forward by pro-horse slaughter proponents. 

With this cynical move, there is now only one avenue left for ending the tragedy of the slaughter of horses for human consumption:  Swift action on the GAO’s other recommendation—passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. 

“AWI commends Representative Farr (D-CA), ranking member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, for being the sole member of the Conference Committee to stand up for America’s horses and fiscal responsibility,” noted Heyde.  “We look forward to working with Representative Farr and other Members of Congress on passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.”

The Animal Welfare Institute is calling on everyone who has horses and cares about the welfare of America’s horses to demand that Congress pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act immediately.

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For More Information:

Chris Heyde, chris@awionline.org ,  (202) 446-2142

Animal Welfare Institute Announces 2011 Schweitzer Awards

Washington, D.C. -- On Monday, November 14, 2011, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson, who heads the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, will present the Animal Welfare institute’s (AWI) Albert Schweitzer Award to three outstanding prosecutors. Michelle Welch, Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Raj Prasad and Amy Slameka from the Wayne County (MI) Prosecutor’s Office, are leaders - indeed, pioneers - in aggressively pursuing animal cruelty and animal fighting cases and raising awareness about the need to take such cases seriously.

In 1951, Dr. Albert Schweitzer gave his permission to AWI to strike a medal in his honor to be presented for outstanding achievement in the advancement of animal welfare. In granting his permission, Dr. Schweitzer wrote, "I would never have believed that my philosophy, which incorporates in our ethics a compassionate attitude toward all creatures, would be noticed and recognized in my lifetime."

This is the first time that AWI has honored members from this branch of law enforcement.  The first honoree from law enforcement, in 1964, was, interestingly, also from Detroit: Patrolman John Mobley of the Detroit police department, who was recognized for his prompt reporting of the suffering and neglect of animals in an experimental laboratory, which led to improvements in their care.  In 1965, Associate Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas received the award for his previous work as author of the first bill requiring the humane treatment of animals in research.

Event Details:

Date: Monday, November 14, 2011

Time: 5:30 p.m.; program commences at 6:15 p.m.

Location: The Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Washington, D.C. (1 block up from the Eastern Market Metro station)

Contacts:

Cathy Liss, (202) 446-2121; cathy@awionline.org

Nancy Blaney, (202) 446-2141; nancy@awionline.org

GUEST PRESENTER:

Laurie O. Robinson
Assistant Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice

The Honorable Laurie O. Robinson is Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). Since joining OJP in January 2009, she has overseen the award of $2.7 billion in Recovery Act funds, launched an agency-wide initiative to integrate evidence-based approaches in OJP programs, and held a series of listening sessions with state, local, and national constituents. Ms. Robinson also served as OJP’s Assistant Attorney General from 1993 to 2000. Prior to her current appointment, she directed the Master of Science Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Criminology.

AWARD RECIPIENTS:

Rajesh Prasad
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Wayne County Prosecutor's Office

Raj Prasad has been an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney at the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office since 2005, currently assigned to the Homicide Unit. Raj co-founded the Animal Protection Unit with Amy Slameka. The Animal Protection Unit is a volunteer unit now consisting of four attorneys and an advocate who review and handle every animal related case from warrant stage to completion. Amy and Raj also work closely with local Humane Society investigators and animal control officers in training and advising them for their investigations. The Animal Protection Unit has achieved a 98 percent conviction rate over the past three years.

Raj is currently on the State Bar of Michigan's Animal Law Section. He is the chairman of the Animal Law Section's Prosecutor's Committee, and on its Legislative Committee. Prior to coming to Michigan, Raj was an Assistant State Attorney for five years in Tampa, Florida. He received his JD from Washington and Lee University School of Law and his BA from the University of Pennsylvania. Raj is a proud owner of two humane society dogs, Han Solo and Scout.

Amy Slameka
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Wayne County Prosecutor's Office

Amy Slameka has been with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office since January 2001. She has been assigned to the felony trial division for the majority of her career. Amy is currently assigned to the Special Prosecutions Unit on a grant involving energy theft. Throughout her ten-year career, Amy has been paying special attention to all animal cases in the office. This culminated in her co-founding the Animal Protection Unit in 2008 with Raj Prasad. The Animal Protection Unit is a volunteer unit now consisting of four attorneys and an advocate who review and handle every animal-related case from warrant stage to completion. Amy and Raj also work closely with local Humane Society investigators and animal control officers in training and advising them for their investigations. The Animal Protection Unit has achieved a 98 percent conviction rate over the past three years.

Amy is an executive member of the Animal Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, a Character and Fitness Committee Member of the State Bar of Michigan and a board member of the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society. Amy received her J.D. from Michigan State University Law and her B.S. from Michigan State University.

Michelle Welch
Assistant Attorney General
Virginia Attorney General's Office

Michelle Welch is an Assistant Attorney General in the Virginia Attorney General’s Office. She is the Assistant charged with taking all animal law questions in Virginia. She is called on by agencies all over the Commonwealth to act as a special prosecutor in animal cruelty and animal fighting cases. She has been appointed a special Assistant U.S. Attorney to aid in dogfighting prosecutions. She frequently gives advice to local law enforcement authorities and prosecutors all over Virginia and across the nation. She also trains prosecutors and animal control and law enforcement officers on the state of Virginia animal law.

Michelle is a frequent speaker at many conferences, including the Virginia Animal Control Association, Virginia Federation of Humane Societies, and the Florida Animal Control Association. She also has spoken at ABA Animal Law Conferences and is asked to speak frequently at vet schools and many other groups. She is the vice president of the Virginia Animal Fighting Taskforce and a board member of VFHS. She is a vice-chair of the Animal Law Committee of the ABA. She frequently works with many animal organizations, including the Animal Welfare Institute. She is a senior faculty member for the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA), and chairs the Animal Law Curriculum Advisory Committee for the APA. She is adjunct faculty for Animal Law at the University of Richmond Law School. She has served as adjunct faculty in the Criminal Justice Program at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Welch also served as Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney in the City of Richmond in charge of all animal abuse and dogfighting prosecutions, among other cases. She has testified before a Congressional caucus examining the enforcement of animal laws and the cooperation between state and federal partners. She has many other responsibilities in her current role with the AG’s Office, including agency work and civilly committing sexually violent predators under Virginia’s civil commitment statute. She is the point person for all animal law questions and is considered an expert on animal law.

View case examples from the 2011 Schweitzer Award Recipients here.

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Media Contact:

Nancy Blaney, AWI, (202) 446-2141

House Moves to Protect American Horses Here and Abroad

American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 2966) Reintroduced

Washington, D.C. -- As Congress heads into their busy fall season, Representatives Dan Burton (R-IN) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), along with 55 bipartisan cosponsors have reintroduced H.R. 2966, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. The bill, similar to the one approved by a strong bipartisan vote in the House several years ago, would outlaw the slaughter of American horses here and - most urgently - would stop these horses from being exported for slaughter.

"I personally believe in the importance of treating all horses as humanely and respectfully as possible," said Rep. Burton. "That being said, I look forward to working with Rep. Schakowsky to end the cruelty, after decades of effort to stop these practices."

"The Animal Welfare Institute commends Reps. Burton, Schakowsky and their colleagues from both sides of the isle for their continued leadership and commitment to protecting America's horses," said Chris Heyde, the Institute's deputy director of government and legal affairs. "They realize the cruel slaughter of horses must stop. It is certainly not fiscally responsible or humane to resurrect slaughter in the U.S. Doing so would require new federal regulations and increased bureaucracy while spending millions of taxpayer dollars - all in an attempt to 'manage' rather than simply outlaw the abuses perpetuated by this industry."

Recently, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report assessing horse welfare since 2007 and the closure of the last three foreign-owned horse slaughter plants in the U.S. However, the GAO was not asked and did not consider the impact slaughter had on America's horses while plants were operating in the U.S., or the impact should slaughter be restored - both vital to understanding the welfare implications. In the end, one of two recommendations was to ban slaughter in the U.S. and the export of horses for the same purposes - what the Animal Welfare Institute has said for years and the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act would do. Our elected officials should follow GAO's recommendation that Congress "...consider instituting an explicit ban on the domestic slaughter of horses and exports of U.S. horses intended for slaughter in foreign countries."

"I am proud to join Rep. Burton in supporting this bill to put a stop to the cruel practice of shipping horses abroad for slaughter," said Rep. Schakowsky. "As a strong supporter of animal rights and a horse lover, I recognize the need to protect animals that aren't able to protect themselves. Protecting animals ought to be a bipartisan issue and this bill is a strong step in the right direction."

The Animal Welfare Institute is calling on all Americans to demand that Congress halt horse slaughter by passing H.R. 2966, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, immediately. For far too long, the few who profit from this cruel industry have been misleading Congress and the public, to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of horses. Since the Animal Welfare Institute began its national campaign to end horse slaughter in 2001, horse owners, veterinarians, agriculture organizations, equine rescues and the American public have all come together to help advocate for our horses. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act represents a critically important opportunity to safeguard American horses. The choice is clear. Rather than sanction cruelty, Congress must provide American horses permanent sanctuary from the slaughterhouse.

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Media Contact:
Chris Heyde, AWI, (202) 446-2142

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Be sure to take action on the Senate version of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, S. 1176, and check back for the H.R. 2966 version as soon as it is available.

Protect America's Horses and Promote Responsible Government!

Please tell your Senators to Support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act

Dear Humanitarian:

Turn on the news and much of what you will hear from our elected officials in Washington, D.C. is "cut federal spending," "stop wasteful federal programs," or "decrease federal regulation." For those truly interested in cutting waste, we have a winning issue: banning horse slaughter. Not only does the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 1176) help end the abuse of over 100,000 American horses being hauled to and slaughtered in Mexico and Canada for human consumption, but this bill would also eliminate a federal program while saving the American taxpayer millions of dollars a year.

Amazingly, however, while some in Congress talk about cuts, a few of the same politicians are quietly trying to restore a USDA program that was eliminated six years ago. At the time Congress shut this program down, it was costing taxpayers $5 million a year, almost exclusively for the benefit of foreign interests. Restoring it now would cost much more - and require an increase in federal bureaucracy to boot. It is time for the American people to stand up for horses while taking a stand against those in Congress working both sides of the issue when it comes to federal spending.

Contact your Senators TODAY in support of S. 1176, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. For more background on the issue and the legislation, please visit www.awionline.org/horseslaughter.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Call both of your Senators today and urge them to help end horse slaughter, while saving the American taxpayer millions of dollars a year, by cosponsoring S. 1176, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

To find your Senators' contact information, please visit AWI's Compassion Index. While there, you can also send them an email in support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

Remember, Paul Revere, a member of the original tea party, didn't walk from town to town alerting the colonists that the British were coming, he rode a horse! Please help us to alert everyone that the time has come to end horse slaughter. Be sure to share this Dear Humanitarian eAlert with friends, family and coworkers, and encourage them to take action today!

Sincerely,

Cathy Liss
President

Frog Leg Trade Decimates Species and Causes Ecological Chaos

New report highlights dangers of international frog leg trade

Washington, D.C./Munich -- International wildlife conservation groups Pro Wildlife, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Animal Welfare Institute, issued a report today titled Canapés to Extinction: The international trade in frogs’ legs and its ecological impact. The report is the first comprehensive study of the frog leg market ever conducted and reveals an industry that is systematically devastating frog populations throughout the world and, subsequently, causing severe environmental impacts to natural ecosystems.

"Humans have been eating frogs for ages. But today the practice is not sustainable on a global scale," said Alejandra Goyenechea, acting director of international conservation programs for Defenders of Wildlife. "Billions of frogs are traded internationally each year for human consumption, and that industry is responsible for depleting wild populations, spreading deadly disease, and allowing invasive species to destroy the health of native ecosystems."

In recent years, the United States has imported an average of 2,280 tonnes (4.6 million pounds) of frog legs each year - the equivalent of 456 million to 1.1 billion frogs - and another 2,216 tonnes (4.4 million pounds) of live frogs for Asian-American markets. Most frog and frog leg imports to the U.S. come from China, Taiwan, Ecuador, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Mexico and Indonesia.
During the last decade, the European Union imported an average of 4,600 tonnes (9.2 million pounds) of frog legs each year - the equivalent of 1 to 2.3 billion frogs. Indonesia is the world’s leading supplier, providing 84 percent of total imports to the EU with the vast majority of frogs being caught in the wild. Belgium, France and the Netherlands are the top importers in the EU.

"The decline of many frog species is a global problem that is being greatly accelerated by just a handful of European nations," said Sandra Altherr, director of wildlife programs for Pro Wildlife in Germany. "The capture and killing of native frogs is prohibited within the EU, so it is incomprehensible that we would be supporting environmentally disastrous practices abroad."

Until the mid-1980s, India and Bangladesh dominated the international frog leg export market. Severe exploitation resulted in the collapse of many wild frog populations in those countries, including two of the most sought-after species, the green pond frog and the Indian bullfrog. In turn, the decline of those species resulted in a dramatic increase in the use of pesticides, due to an explosion of insects and other agricultural pests previously kept in check by frogs. In 1985, the two frog species were protected with an Appendix II listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). India and Bangladesh subsequently banned exports, their native species have since recovered and the use of pesticides has been reduced.

However, in recent years, other countries have stepped in to fill the void and their frog populations appear to be headed for a similar fate. Indonesia, where billions of frogs are taken from the wild annually, and to a lesser extent China, Taiwan and Vietnam, where frogs are farmed very intensively, have now taken over the export market.

"We must take immediate action to protect frog species from being exploited for international trade," said D.J. Schubert, a wildlife biologist with the Animal Welfare Institute. "Wild populations across Asia are already in trouble, and unregulated trade puts native species in the U.S. at even greater risk from deadly diseases that have been wreaking havoc on amphibians worldwide. It will take a coordinated effort from governments and the world’s conservation community to prevent the extinction of imperiled frog species and to protect our native species from harmful invasives."

The report will be distributed to key government decision-makers, including those responsible for the implementation of CITES, with a request that they take immediate action to bring this unregulated trade under control.  Considering that the frog species dominating the frog leg trade are not currently protected under CITES, there is an urgent need for governments to secure CITES protections for them.

Click here to download the full report.

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Media Contact:D.J. Schubert, AWI, (609) 601-2875, dj@awionline.org

U.S. House of Representatives Takes Action to Protect Animals Against Cruel Traps on National Wildlife Refuges

Washington, D.C. -- Today, Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) introduced legislation to end the use of brutal traps on furbearing animals within federal wildlife refuges. The Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act, H.R. 2657, is intended to help to restore the original intent of the National Wildlife Refuge System by placing a ban on the use of cruel body-gripping traps on these public lands.

"The use of steel jaw leg-hold traps and other barbaric mechanisms has no place in National Wildlife Refuges or other public lands," said Congresswoman Lowey. "Body-gripping traps are cruel and inhumane, and it is time to end this brutal practice once and for all."

Currently, animals living within National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) are at risk of falling victim to body gripping traps where they may be tortured for hours or days - struggling to be free of the long-drawn-out pain inflicted on them by the traps. More than half of our country’s refuges currently allow trapping using steel jaw leghold traps, Conibear traps and snares. Steel jaw leg-hold traps are designed to restrain the animal by the leg, and some animals who are caught may chew off their own limb to escape on three legs. Conibear traps are designed to crush the animal’s spinal column for a quick kill. However, the trap often misses and clamps down on the chest or pelvis, crushing bones and causing the animal excruciating pain and prolonged death. Snares are among the oldest form of trap, a simple noose made of thin wire, which tightens around an animals neck or body as the animal struggles to get away.

Federal legislation is needed to stop this barbaric practice, currently allowed on more than half of our nation’s 550 refuges. These inhumane traps have been banned or severely restricted in 89 other nations and in 8 states throughout the United States. According to a 1989 study conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal Damage Control division, such traps are indiscriminate and on average take 10.8 non-target animals for each trapped target animal. Referred to as "trash" animals by the trapper, non-target wildlife often are simply thrown away. Non-target animals that may be caught include raptors, songbirds, and deer.

"The Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act is a critical step toward reducing the suffering inflicted on our nation’s wildlife," said Cathy Liss, AWI President. "The Animal Welfare Institute applauds Congresswoman Lowey for her leadership in seeking to protect both target and non-target animals from traps that cause extensive physical trauma."

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Media Contacts:
Chris Heyde, AWI, (202) 446-2142