December 5, 2018
Assemblymember Todd Gloria has introduced new state legislation to protect California’s wild horses from roundup and slaughter by the federal government.
Assembly Bill 128 aims to strengthen enforcement of section 598 of the state Penal Code, which makes it a felony to sell, import, export, or possess a horse for the purpose of slaughter for human consumption.
“Californians have made very clear that they oppose the slaughter of wild horses, but the Trump Administration still does not seem to get it. That is why I put forward AB 128 to implement stronger protections for California’s wild and domestic horse population,” Gloria said Wednesday. “Horses in California should be treated humanely and wild horses should be able to live freely on our public lands.”
The San Diego Democrat said his legislation was prompted by the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to round up and sell federally-protected wild horses from the Modoc National Forest. Some horses were sold for $1 a piece without limitation on slaughter.
In October, Gloria and 22 of his colleagues joined Sen. Dianne Feinstein to oppose the federal government’s actions.
Suzanne Roy, executive director of the American Wild Horse Campaign, thanked Gloria for introducing the legislation, which she said would “protect horses as partners, companions and icons of the American West who must be treated humanely, not brutally butchered to supply foreign horsemeat markets.”
