Why do OBP slaughters continue?

These magnificent horses, so many different breeds – ponies, saddlers, miniatures and many more, after unwillingly donating their bodies to “science” at one of our most famous institutions, are thrown out like garbage and trucked off to be slaughtered, a fact that Onderstepoort Biological Products still denies. The sad reality is that the few lucky ones we have been able to save by outbidding the butchers at these slaughter auctions have all been young pregnant mares, too young to be pregnant, in fact. These horses are not old – we have yet to save one over 3.5 years in age, so can somebody tell us why? These horses are not sick either, they are strong and there is no reason for them to be slaughtered. We managed to save 36 horses and two donkeys two years ago, and last year 30. We can keep on doing this, but it is not the solution. The tip-offs started 3 years ago, insiders would call us and warn us of horses being sent to cattle slaughter auctions by Onderstepoort when they were finished testing them for a new African Horse Sickness vaccine. As a result we would go to said auctions and outbid the butchers for the horses. Even at the auction, Onderstepoort staff would deny it was a slaughter auction, pray tell then, why are the horses being sold off the scales, and why are the horses being sold for their price in meat value, and that a pathetic R3.00 a kilo!!! Also at these auctions the butchers would complain and were very angry that we were there and most wanted to know how we found out about the auctions. Well I can tell you it was not the small pathetic advert in the farmers weekly, which, it appears, seems to justify this horrible practice! Why not horse magazines, why not let us know in advance? Last time I called a few days before the auction to buy all the horses professor Zyanda Majokweni told me to go to hell, told me she does not give a damn about what us people think, told me that she has made commitments to these people and slammed the phone down in my ear.

We have been campaigning against this now for three years and it would appear it has turned into a situation of emotional blackmail. We have been informed that 3 months ago a truck load of horses was sent directly to a butcher in Randfontein and they were all slaughtered; they were not advertised and bypassed the auction. We were informed that if we continue to cause trouble by coming to these auctions then the next batch of horses will go the same way. The Citizen phoned for comment this week and they got the same denial and assurance that this does not happen anymore. Same as a year ago when we called. So it does not happen since the last batch 3 months ago? And the threats about the next auction? Yes we all believe you it does not happen any more!!

The question is Why? Why were there so many complaints at the last auction as to who we were, and how we found out about the auction? Why must the butchers get the horses and not us? Why the loyalty to slaughter? Are these animals sick? Are they trying to hide the fact that they are pregnant? What’s the underlying issue here? Surely it can’t be money – if so, whose pockets are being lined here and who is doing the lining?

There are many poor pregnant and young horses, some of them so thin at these auctions that they do not fetch a good price when they get on the scales anyway, so surely this money cannot be going back into the programme. It is a government sponsored division so our tax money pays for it anyway. The horses we have rescued are so petrified of people it takes weeks to calm them down, or even to start forming any kind of bond with them. They are also too young to be pregnant and we have had an incident where a young foal nearly died as mom was too young to understand what was happening to her when she was giving birth and stood up and the baby landed on its head.

A horse is an animal of prey, like a zebra, if it sees or hears anything it does not recognize, it panics in fear as it presumes these strange things are out to eat him. The panic and fear at these auctions that they go through is heartbreaking. We even saw horses trying to climb out the barriers like cats out of fear. Some were shaking so badly they broke into sweat and some collapsed from trembling. The transport on the old rusty trucks to the butchers is just as inhumane. And what about the slaughter house? They can smell death, they can smell panic! And it seems this is not only happening once a year so how many horses are we actually talking about here?

We have offered to buy these animals, we have even offered to put them down on the property with a bullet to the head, and involving the lion park and other conservation projects. They are inundated with calls of people leaving their phone numbers when these horses become available. Yet they go to slaughter auctions, and it would appear now, because of our involvement, directly to the butcher. So what’s the real story here? What’s really going on? And how many other animals are being abused behind this facility’s name, after all it’s not just horses that are being used for scientific purposes… I shudder to think!!!!

Lara Borland