Yesterday I received a call from someone who was interested in rescue horses. Actually,
I have gotten calls from this number, though no messages, a few times over the past
few days and not gotten back to the person. I answered this time.
Nothing uncommon, as I get quite a few inquiries through the week from those
looking to place horses, ask questions about adoption and so forth.
I’ve gotten so many, that I am quite good at sorting out horse traders, unqualified
owners and potentially quality adopters.
This call, from the start, was suspicious.
The man had a bit of an accent. He asked about horses I had up for
adoption to “good homes.”
I asked what horse in particular he was inquiring about.
He said just some horses need adopted.
HUGE Red flag, of course, in and of its self. . .but the conversation continues. . .
I ask because of his continued odd statements where he lives.
He says he is located in South Florida.
I told him that, curious now about his motives, the cost of transporting
horses from my location in West Virginia would be prohibitive, and I explained
that is made no sense to move them from my location when many rescues were
close to his location.
He said, in a stumbling manner, that they had large semi trailers they use
for. . .”Uh, for cattle hauling” (to quote him) that would be around and
could easily pick up any horses we had to send.
Really!?
The conversation went downhill from here. . .I believe he felt he’d said too
much, and he then said, after I responded that we wouldn’t be interested,
“Well, I bet they would get cold on the trip, so thank you very much.”
The tone was not sarcastic, but almost like he did not want me to guess
his motives. He hung up.
Now, I believe there must be people in Florida that cater to the lucrative black market
for horse meat that are preying on the idea that small town rescue
people, like I am, are willing to give away horses at this time of year to anyone.
Prices are upwards, I’ve read, of $40 a pound in some cases, compared to the
prices for horses going to Mexico for slaughter that run MUCH less than $1 per
pound. I’ve heard the local meat buyer is only getting .25 cents a pound for what is
being shipped through him to Mexico.
Why else call me?
I know that if he called me, he and others like him are calling other people.
Some people are so desperate to place, so unsuspecting, so uneducated,
it is hard to say what they might do.
Also, be aware, this is why placing horses on craigslist for almost nothing or
free is beyond dangerous.
There is little question now that there must be a group of people finding enough
money in black market meat to go all over the US to find cheap and free horses
to haul down that direction.
I looked the number up, and it is a Sprint cell number out of Port St Lucie area,
and is begins with (772) 267-****
I will privately share the whole number with anyone who wants the information, especially anyone capable of finding out more about the person who made the call.
Please spread the word to rescues. I know that no legitimate rescue would entertain
this offer, but awareness that this is happening cannot be anything but helpful.
For those unaware of the black market for horse meat in Florida and the
gruesome farms of horror there, please research a couple of these links
below:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=8223214&page=1#.TrNmKEOa–U
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-10-05-horse-meat_N.htm