EDMONTON—Newly obtained Japanese government records show at least one horse died after suffering injuries during a flight to Japan for slaughter this past June. Several others collapsed en route. As with all injuries, illnesses, and deaths sustained by horses exported from Canada since 2015, none of the incidents in this most recent data appear to have been reported to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
This is the second time Animal Justice has partnered with Japan-based Life Investigation Agency (LIA) to expose unreported injuries, illnesses, and deaths in horses exported for slaughter.
A report released by the groups in September based on data from June 2023 through May 2024 showed at least 21 horses exported for slaughter died in that time period during transport or in the hours and days after.
Deaths were caused by injuries sustained during flights, extreme stress, dehydration, and painful miscarriages, among other conditions. More than 50 other horses experienced serious injuries and illnesses due to the stressful and dangerous conditions in which they were transported.
The newly obtained data from June 2024 paints a similarly troubling picture. During a June 16, 2024 shipment from Edmonton to Kansai airport in Japan, two horses were down in their wooden crates when the plane landed. One of the collapsed horses couldn’t stand up during the unloading process, and was likely removed by a forklift. The records do not reveal the fate of this horse and whether she was able to recover.
Animal Justice and Life Investigation Agency tracked this flight and found it likely went over the 28-hour legal limit for transporting horses without food, water, and rest. Exceeding this mandatory limit puts horses at greater risk.
The new data also shows that during a June 24, 2024, flight from Edmonton to Kitakyushu airport in Japan there was turbulence and at least one horse was discovered collapsed upon landing. One horse sustained such serious injuries from being stepped on during the flight that he suffered for days and ultimately died of his injuries, along with apparent heat stroke.
Four other horses on this flight developed high fevers, and one appears to have tested positive for salmonellosis while in quarantine. Salmonella bacteria are often found in healthy horses but the bacteria can cause clinical disease when animals are subjected to extreme stress,.
“With every month that goes by, horses are suffering and dying prolonged deaths due to the horrific conditions that they are exported in for slaughter overseas,” said Kaitlyn Mitchell, director of legal advocacy with Animal Justice. “Canadians deserve to know what happens to these horses after flights take off, yet it seems not even the CFIA has a clear picture. Given this lack of oversight and transparency, we are left to rely on Government of Japan records to piece together the fate of these terrified, innocent horses.”
Bill to end flights stalled in Senate
Bill C-355, which was introduced by MP Tim Louis in September 2023 to ban the export of live horses for slaughter, passed the House of Commons in May but has been stalled in the Senate since that time with little progress.
More than 15,000 Canadians, along with leading Canadian celebrities such as Jann Arden, Bryan Adams, Chantal Kreviazuk, Elisha Cuthbert, and Brady Oliveira have written to Senators urging them to stop delaying the Bill.
Last week, Manitoba Senator Charles Adler made a passionate speech urging Senators, including the Bill’s critic, Conservative Manitoba Senator Donald Plett, to finally vote on the Bill and allow it to proceed to committee study.
“It was three years ago this week that the Prime Minister included banning the export of horses for slaughter in the mandate letter of the Minister of Agriculture,” said Ms. Mitchell. “After all this time, it is incredibly frustrating to see Bill C-355 stuck in limbo in the Senate. With every day and week that the Bill gathers dust, horses are left to suffer even though the vast majority of Canadians want this abhorrent industry shut down now.
“So many horses are being tortured and killed for the benefit of a small minority of people. I plead that the lawmakers of Canada, a country with a progressive stance on animal rights, stand up with courage and a sense of justice by banning the export of horses,” said Ren Yabuki, director of LIA.
Contact:
Kaitlyn Mitchell
Director of Legal Advocacy
[email protected]
