Horses Slaughtered in Florida

Geronimo, a quarter horse who lived on the property of Ivonne Rodriguez for five years, was found slaughtered under a tree. Whoever killed this gentle horse covered his carcass with a tarp and palm fronds. This isn’t an uncommon occurrence in South Florida, where Geronimo lived—horses are being killed for their meat and it is suspected that many of these atrocities are not being reported. According to Scott Andress of the Miami-Dade Police Department, horses that are slaughtered are often dismembered and the meat is removed from their bodies. Richard Couto of the South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals calls it South Florida’s dirty little secret, and says that on the black market a pound of horse meat can go for $7 to $20. It’s high time for this dirty little secret to reach the public so that this sick slaughter can end.