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The Cruelty Continues
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Temperatures hovered close to 100° degrees at the Cleburne Auction in Texas when Animals' Angels went onsite this summer for the third year running. Once again our investigators were outraged to observe the excruciating conditions suffered by the 100+ horses offered at Trent Ward's weekly kill sale during their undercover visits in July and August.
Our investigation found that Trent Ward and his management team failed to improve the appalling conditions observed in previous years. Instead of making desperately needed changes to relieve the suffering of the animals at the auction, Ward decided to post up several warning signs stating that the use of cameras is forbidden.
This shameful attempt to hide the auction's poor conditions is similar to the tactics of the notorious New Holland auction in Pennsylvania, which unsuccessfully tried the same ploy. Undeterred by the new signs, our investigators entered the Cleburne auction determined to witness and report on the welfare and treatment of the helpless animals inside.
Our investigators reported that:
- Most horses had no access to water.
- Fans had not been installed to cool the pen area despite the excruciatingly high temperatures.
- Several horses were very thin or emaciated.
- Some horses had open wounds.
- Despite the fact that many pens were empty, auction workers put "loose" horses together in larger pens, going so far as to put a stallion with mares and geldings in one of the pens.
- Several horses were kicked in their sides due to the auction's failure to properly separate horses in the pens. A gelding received a devastating blow to the face while trapped in the pen with the stallion. Only after the gelding was visibly bleeding did auction workers remove the aggressor.
The poor conditions in Cleburne are heartbreaking, however they're not surprising considering Trent Ward's history. Ward, who has accumulated a long list of violations of the Commercial Transport of Equines to Slaughter Regulations throughout his extensive history in the slaughter horse business, has in past shipped horses to the slaughter plant in Kaufman, Texas and to the Intermeats slaughter plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
In fact, Ward previously incurred a $21,450 fine for shipping horses that were unable to bear weight on all four legs, shipping non-segregated stallions, and shipping countless horses without the required paperwork. And Ward's long-standing relationship with Texas' largest kill buyer, Mike McBarron, with whom he operated the T & M Horse Company, continues to allow McBarron to aquire a steady stream of horses for slaughter as well as his flourishing broker program.
Along with Mike McBarron, longtime Texas kill buyer Terry Saulters is also a regular attendant at the Cleburne Auction, as are horse traders from surrounding states, such as Norman Franklin and Bob Manning from Florida.
When Animals' Angels first visited the Cleburne Auction back in 2017, locals alerted our investigators to the presence of kill buyers and the unacceptable conditions at the sale. Our subsequent findings in 2017 and 2018 are summarized below in an effort to shed full light on the scope of the suffering uncovered in Cleburne.
Recap of 2017 and 2018 Cleburne Auction Reports
Animals' Angels investigators previously travelled to Cleburne in August of 2017 and 2018. Working undercover in excruciating heat, each time they observed hundreds of horses and donkeys being auctioned off to kill buyers Mike McBarron and Terry Saulters.
At each auction McBarron clearly dominated the bidding, aggressively purchasing many horses for slaughter as well as buying some higher-priced horses destined for his broker program. In fact, our 2017 investigation revealed that McBarron bid aggressively even against private individuals, once callously outbidding a young girl for a horse she'd excitedly selected from the pen. The poor child was heartbroken as the gentle horse was led off to an uncertain future.
Throughout our investigations we were outraged to see that the auction provided the horses with no access to water despite extreme summer temperatures. They also ignored the needs of visibly sick, neglected, emaciated, and injured animals, and failed to properly separate the animals within the pen area, allowing aggressive horses and donkeys to harm other animals.
After observing the poor conditions at the Cleburne Auction in 2017 and 2018, Animals' Angels reported the observed neglect and the offenders to the proper authorities and vowed to continue monitoring the kill buyer sale.
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Conclusions of Cleburne Auction Investigations
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After conducting the third undercover investigation of the Cleburne Auction, our investigators have once again confirmed that the Cleburne Auction is a kill sale, where each seller must acknowledge and expect that their horse will end up on a slaughter truck.
Conditions at the auction, as witnessed and documented during multiple investigations, remain dreadfully inhumane, with several of the horses clearly qualifying as cruelty cases which should not be accepted for sale but instead reported to law enforcement.
Going forward, Animals' Angels will make the Cleburne Auction a priority. We plan to increase our investigations to ensure that all observed violations are reported to the proper authorities in a full-out effort to stop the suffering at Trent Ward's kill sale.
Join Us in Advocating for the Animals
Investigations like the one we've highlighted in this month's newsletter, and like the many other investigations we have ongoing, are very expensive, but they are also absolutely essential. Without our exposure, abusers would not be held accountable and unsuspecting sellers would continue to believe that their animals are being sold to good homes.
Like you, we are devastated by the cruel treatment of the animals we strive to help. Since 2007 we have remained steadfast in our mission to stop the abuse and slaughter of innocent animals.
Our tireless undercover investigators are driven to document and expose the abuse and exploitation of animals, and our investigations are frequently featured in the media and used to successfully persuade policymakers to enact laws.
In fact, evidence from our EU Campaign led the EU Commission to completely ban horse meat from Mexico and thousands upon thousands of lives have been saved since the ban was put into place.
We're grateful for the progress we've made and are determined to save more lives and reduce the suffering of more innocent animals through our in-depth investigative reports and ongoing research. But we need your help as we continue seeking out and exposing abusers and advocating for long-term, meaningful change. Will you support us by making a tax-deductible donation today? Any donation you can make will be gratefully used to carry on our much-needed work on behalf of the animals.
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| ABOUT US! |
Animals' Angels works to improve the conditions for farm animals and horses all over the country.
Our investigators are out in the field nationwide, visiting auctions, kill pens, feedlots and slaughter plants to uncover the cruelty and abuse that animals all too often face each and every day.
Animals' Angels, Inc.
PO Box 1056
Westminster, MD 21158
443-821-3343
info@animalsangels.org
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