NEWS
Slaughter-bound starving horses discovered in Miami-Dade County
Posted: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 5:14 PM
by Joe Nevills
Four emaciated Thoroughbreds and a Quarter Horse were discovered last week in two separate locations in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County.
Three of the Thoroughbreds and the Quarter Horse were found in the county’s C9 Basin, located in the northwest part of Miami-Dade County. They were discovered by Richard Couto, founder and investigator for Animal Recovery Mission, who said the horses were in poor shape and had no food or water.
“It was filled with toxic waste, burnt out buses, broken down vehicles, piles of tires, tar machines from roofing houses, and a lot of waste from those containers spilled all over the place,” he said, describing the horses’ surroundings. “The horses were basically eating the bark off of the trees.”
Couto documented what he saw and contacted the police and the South Florida chapter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Although the police issued a statement saying that there was no indication that the horses were going to be slaughtered, Couto said the site is well-known for its history of illegal slaughter and was being used as a pre-slaughter holding area.
Not long before the horses were discovered at the C9 Basin, the South Florida ASPCA found another abandoned Thoroughbred in the southwestern part of the county. Although the horse appeared to be abandoned, but not marked for slaughter, Couto said that one was in the worst shape of all.
“I’m surprised that horse is still alive, to be honest,” he said.
The Thoroughbreds found at the C9 Basin were identified by their lip tattoos as:
* Cornish Gold, an unraced 13-year-old mare by With Approval. Her two foals are also unraced.
* Salient Finish, an eight-year-old mare by Straight Man who was inless in 16 starts, all at Calder Race Course or Gulfstream Park, and earned $2,767.
* El Tabrawy, a six-year-old gelding by Lido Palace (Chi) who won two of 31 starts, all at Calder or Tampa Bay Downs, and earned $34,167.
The Thoroughbred found in southwest Miami-Dade County was McMurphy, a ten-year-old gelding by Richter Scale. Over his seven-year racing career, McMurphy won 12 of 70 lifetime starts for earnings of $152,533. He raced primarily in Florida and Illinois.
The Thoroughbreds were placed under the care of Florida Trac, a retirement and placement program for horses that competed at Calder or Gulfstream. The Quarter Horse, which could not be identified, was placed in the care of the ASPCA.
“As of right now, they look like they’re doing a little bit better,” Couto said. “Their spirits are up and they’re getting a little bit more energy and acting more like young Thoroughbreds than before. It looks pretty good for them.”
Couto said the former owners and trainers of the Thoroughbreds have been identified, but tracking down the parties they gave or sold the horses to has been a more difficult task.
“As far as the horsemen, if they sold these horses or gave them away to another party, then legally, they’re not looking at anything,” Couto said about the punishments the racetrack connections may face. “Trackwise, though they’re looking at having their stalls pulled and their license pulled by the state.
“If it comes down to us finding the people that had these horses and were neglectful, they’re looking at animal cruelty charges, which is a misdemeanor in the state of Florida. Which really doesn’t amount to much, to be honest.”
Couto said the C9 Basin has been a hotbed for illegal slaughter activity for over 40 years. The high concentration of residents in the area who practice the religion of Santeria meant some of the animals that were sent to the basin went to animal sacrifice for religious purposes. The basin was the focus of a sweep by federal, state, and county inspectors in January 2010.
“It’s just been known throughout South Florida as an area to get not just horse meat, but any meat you want,” Couto said. “Everything was illegal in the area as far as slaughter farms were concerned, but they were open for business. These places used to advertise like Home Depot or Target.”
(RELATED: Abandoned horse recovering in South Florida.)
Joe Nevills is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
READER COMMENTS
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Posted by: Joe Smith, York, SC on February 12, 2012 at 11:04 AM
First, my thanks to staff writer, Joe Nevills, for writing the article. This ILLEGAL activity should have been shut down a long time ago.What is the problem with S. FL ? Obviously, there is a pipeline feeding this activity and people at the tracks know what is going on. What a shame.
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Posted by: me, somewhere, IN on February 04, 2012 at 06:48 PM
http://www.racefund.org/
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Posted by: hansenlover!, horseland, IL on February 02, 2012 at 11:14 PM
I'm sorry TT readers for annoying you with this jabbering! I will know longer respond to mary suckers comments! its just a waist of my time!
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Posted by: hansenlover!, horseland, IL on February 02, 2012 at 11:10 PM
And i am not going to waste my time fighting with you i am going to have a nice cup of coffee! And i will pray that god will change your mean spirited heart.You don't frighten me at all!
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Posted by: Hansenlover!, horseland, IL on February 02, 2012 at 11:06 PM
Blah,blah,blah,blah i'm so frightened! lol! you are pathetic!
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