PETA Global Issue 2

Horse (Main Image): © iStock.com/Abramova_Kseniya | Blood Graphic: © iStock.com/Barcin

A uthorized by the Animal Welfare Board of India, a PETA India team that included veterinarians and other experts from top veterinary colleges inspected 10 equine facilities. It found widespread abuse and neglect of thousands of horses, donkeys, and mules who were being used as unwilling blood donors to make antitoxins. Horses Jabbed, Crippled, and Blinded The animals were restrained, and – without using anesthetics – workers drew up to 15% of each one’s blood, which can be as much as 2 gallons, from a vein in the neck. They were subjected to this abuse again and again. In order to collect blood quickly, workers jabbed themwith large-gauge needles. When approached, many horses panicked and struggled to get away. One thrashed and collapsed after being stuck with a large needle. The equines were kept in crowded, barren enclosures and tied by short ropes, severely restricting their movement, even though government guidelines state that they need socialization, daily exercise, open fields for grazing, and clean bedding to provide relief from the concrete floors. Some had to stand in their own urine and manure, and many suffered from “capped

22 A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP