2 years ago
OROVILLE, CA - A first of its kind free horse euthanasia clinic in Oroville filled up quickly Wednesday, as more and more owners struggle to afford keeping all their horses.
Margo Zamora was in tears as she led her pony Oreo from the trailer.
"Just knowing that I'm ending his life today, that he's not going to be there, it's hard," she said. "I know he'll be in heaven and he'll be happy and free."
Oreo is 40 years old, virtually toothless, and Zamora said she can no longer afford to care for him along with her five other horses on her Oakley ranch.
Part of the problem is that she boards 24 other horses, and many of those owners have simply stopped paying her.
"We had four or five (owners)that were really behind and it was getting really hard for my husband and me because we count on that to help pay for the mortgage," said Zamora.
"Everybody's going through hard times and they try to tell you that and we understand that. But we have to pay the bills, too. And I've got my own animals to take care of," she said.
NorCal Equine Rescue (NER) said more horse owners are unable to afford high feed costs through the winter. In some cases, that means the horses aren't fed or cared for properly, resulting in horses starving and being neglected.
NER sponsors the clinic and co-founder Tawnee Preisner said she never thought it would come to this. (Click here for the NorCal Equine Rescue website.)
The problem is, she said, it's getting much tougher to find good homes for unwanted horses. Since 2003, NER has averaged adoption and placement of 175 horse each year. So far in 2008, the number has doubled to 350.
"When we first started rescuing I would've said, 'Euthanasia clinic? No way.' But ya know the way the economy's going, there's so many people, their horses are getting older, they can't afford to euthanize," she said.
Older or sick horses like Oreo would likely end up at auction and be purchased by a meat buyer, then be shipped off in inhumane conditions to slaughterhouses in Mexico or Canada and killed for meat, said Preisner.
"Probably a three to four day trip without food and water. They cram the horses in (trailers), they can't lift their heads up. Horses will be falling down and they'll be putting more horses in," she said.
"The slaughter itself, especially in Mexico, is extremely brutal, very cruel. There's no laws," said Preisner. "The horse is alive through the entire process until it actually bleeds out. It's terrible."
NER came up with the idea of the free euthanasia clinic as the number of horses needing rescue grew out of control. Through donations, the group can fund euthanasia for about 60 horses over this winter.
Horse owners already struggling financially can then avoid the normal $500 cost of euthanizing and disposing of a horse.
The organization is accepting 15 horses Wednesday, then plans to hold similar clinics throughout the winter. Each horse will be screened by a veterinarian, with the only ones euthanized being old or sick with little chance to find them another home.
"It's extremely sad, but if you know they're not being brutally killed, they're knowing love and kindness, it's a much better way to go," said Preisner.
And for Zamora, a blessing as she said goodbye to Oreo. "A free euthanasia clinic, it was kind of the answer to my prayers," she said.
News10/KXTV
