Posted by Caleb Macduff on animalpetitions.org
Photo credit: lostajy
Target: Devon Councillor, John Hart
Goal: Ban the sale of Dartmoor ponies at allegedly abusive auction.
Dartmoor ponies are mini horses known for their resiliency and determination.
Upsettingly, there’s recent video evidence reportedly showing these ponies being abused and tormented while being sold off at auction.
Sellers of the animals apparently don’t see these creatures in their own right, but instead as cargo to make a profit off of. The freely-roaming animals are rounded up in the fall, then taken to an annual pony auction in Dartmoor, where the little horses are traded away for a massive profit.
Recent footage shows that after the ponies were rounded up this past autumn, their captors seemingly left many of the animals without food or water, putting them in danger of death, and tormenting them with dehydration and malnutrition. For those that survived till auction, further videos reportedly show handlers picking up ponies by their tails, and at least one handler apparently kicked a pony to force the animal onto a trailer.
Even worse, after being sold ponies face an uncertain fate. While some join loving families, others are sold to slaughterhouses, butchered for scientific research, or to become meat, for both human and animal consumption. Some pony meat winds up in pet food, while some hunks and slabs wind up on zoo animals’ dinner plates.
More than 300 horses were listed for sale this past season, which means hundreds of animals could have been abused or neglected; we simply don’t know the full scope of the alleged cruelty yet. While a spokesperson for the auction said that the organization was “looking into the matter,” that’s just not enough. These ponies don’t deserve to become meat. They don’t deserve to be seemingly kicked and hurt. And they don’t deserve to be sold off in the first place.
Thankfully, many people in the Dartmoor area agree. A group called People 4 Ponies runs an animal sanctuary nearby and they’re fighting to shut down the auction. It’s time for us to stand with them. Sign the petition to demand an end to the annual sale of ponies in Dartmoor.
PETITION LETTER
Dear Councillor Hart,
Each year hundreds of Dartmoor ponies are rounded up in “the drift,” and taken to be sold at auction. Recent videos have reportedly shown the sellers and auctioneers abusing these animals, leaving them without food and water, kicking them, and pulling them by their tails.
After they are sold they may face an even worse fate. While some are kept as pets, others are sent to slaughterhouses as food for pets or zoo animals. More than 300 horses were listed for sale just this year, which means that hundreds of these creatures could have been abused. These ponies do not deserve to be sold off, abused, or killed. It is time to end the sale of ponies in Dartmoor. Please, end this awful practice.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Sign petition here: https://animalpetitions.org/1070414/ponies-reportedly-neglected-abused-and-butchered-at-auction-deserve-justice/
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