Todd Gloria Introduces Bill to Protect California’s Wild Horses from Slaughter

Assemblymember Todd Gloria has taken a significant step to protect California's wild horses from federal roundup and slaughter. With the introduction of Assembly Bill 128, Gloria aims to reinforce state laws prohibiting the sale and slaughter of horses for human consumption. Thislegislationis a response to federal actions that threaten the humane treatment of these iconic animals.

AssemblymemberTodd Gloriahas introduced new statelegislationto protect California’s wild horses from roundup and slaughter by the federal government.

Assembly Bill 128aims to strengthen enforcement of section 598 of the state Penal Code, which makes it a felony to sell, import, export, or possess a horse for the purpose of slaughter for human consumption.

“Californians have made very clear that they oppose the slaughter of wild horses, but the Trump Administration still does not seem to get it. That is why I put forward AB 128 to implement stronger protections for California’s wild and domestic horse population,” Gloria said Wednesday. “Horses in California should be treated humanely and wild horses should be able to live freely on our public lands.”

The San Diego Democrat said hislegislationwas prompted by theU.S. Forest Service’s decision to round up and sell federally-protected wild horses from theModoc National Forest. Some horses were sold for $1 a piece without limitation on slaughter.

In October, Gloria and 22 of his colleagues joined Sen. Dianne Feinstein to oppose the federal government’s actions.

Suzanne Roy, executive director of theAmerican Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign), thanked Gloria for introducing thelegislation, which she said would “protect horses as partners, companions and icons of the American West who must be treated humanely, not brutally butchered to supply foreign horsemeat markets.”

Originally posted by Times of San Diego