Venezuelans Outraged By Slaughter Of Beloved Racehorse For Food

[Sugar Cookie]

The grisly slaughter of a beloved racehorse is shining a light on just how desperate Venezuelans are for food as they struggle to survive their country’s economic collapse.

Ocean Bay, who galloped away with Venezuela’s most prestigious titles, was stolen and butchered Monday, sparking outrage that spread like wildfire across the country, The Associated Press reported.

“What a disgrace,” Ramón García, the stallion’s longtime trainer, tweeted. “This isn’t the Venezuela that I grew up in.”

Farmers and veterinarians have reported dozens of horses cut to pieces over the past few years as a recession has deepened into a depression. A UN World Food Program study earlier this year found one in three Venezuelans is going hungry.

The death of Ocean Bay hit particularly hard though, because of his fame and striking looks — a shining coffee-colored coat with an elegant white diamond-shaped streak on his face.

In 2016, the stallion snatched two of Venezuela’s three Triple Crown races. He sustained an injury but returned the next year to win five more races.

One illustrator posted portraits of Ocean Bay online; others blamed President Nicolás Maduro for letting the nation get into such a sorry state.

“This is painful for all of us,” Susana Raffalli, a nutrition expert who consults for relief agency Caritas Venezuela, wrote on social media.

The stallion went missing from a farm in Tocorón. The discovery created a panic: Just three months before, seven other purebreds, including Ocean Bay’s mother, had been stolen and slaughtered.

Only hours after Ocean Bay was reported missing, part of his skeleton was found near a town jail. Police and Venezuela’s chief prosecutor’s office are investigating the crime.

Horse thieves typically sell the meat to buyers who think they are paying for beef. A few take the meat for their own families.

Venezuelans outraged by slaughter of beloved racehorse for food

The grisly slaughter of a beloved racehorse is shining a light on just how desperate Venezuelans are for food as they struggle to survive their country’s economic collapse. Ocean Bay, who galloped …

nypost.com

 

[Metalfan]

HI YO SILVER!! Flushes toilet.

 

[Sejanus]

He looked good.
Good enough to eat evidently.

Hunger leads to desperation.
Remember that.
Stock up your pantry folks!

 

[Spider]

The shitty prizes you win when you play the game of socialism.

 

[Sharia_Now]

What's the difference between killing a horse and killing a cow? Both have feelings, both feel pain and emotion, both are scared of dying.

 

[hzlb]

What's the difference between killing a horse and killing a cow? Both have feelings, both feel pain and emotion, both are scared of dying.

Cows, are raised for meat to eat Horse's are breed for many reasons ,dinner plate is not one

 

[Sharia_Now]

Cows, are raised for meat to eat Horse's are breed for many reasons ,dinner plate is not one

So?

 

[Totemic]

Honestly, I don't think it wrong that they killed the horse for food. But the stealing the horse is the crime here.

 

[Inferus]

Bet they're all jockeying for a taste.

 

[Symmachus]

It is interesting that there is, developed in modern sedentary society, the double-standard of cows being acceptable to eat and horses not being. Given, stealing this horse was a terrible and condemnatory action because the thieves invaded someone else's property to acquire the meat from the horse, which they were never entitled to and never earned (EDIT: and also killed the poor thing!). However, I cannot help but think of the cultural weight put upon horses as reserved for anything except culinary purposes. I believe the endorsement turning cattle into edible meat and the opposition of horses as such is mostly cultural, and somewhat, but not as much, ethical, and is, in likely no minor way, influenced by the widespread and greater than long-term use of horses as transportation before the advent of the automobile; horses were introduced to the Native Americans by the Spanish in and around the 16th century, and particularly the Plains Indians became known for their use of horses. I know Wendy's had an issue with potential horse meat in their burgers several years ago as well.

This is pontificating, however, and I am not an expert on this matter. I just know that it is a curious phenomenon, particularly in the Western world.

 

[Keepalowprofile]

Because they are pets.

 

[CentreAussie]

Remember when the US alt-left body politic held up Venezuela as an example of 'Socialism done correctly'?

Pepperidge Farm remembers.

So does @CA....

But I have a feeling Bernie Sanders has forgotten.....

 

[Totemic]

It is interesting that there is, developed in modern sedentary society, the double-standard of cows being acceptable to eat and horses not being. Given, stealing this horse was a terrible and condemnatory action because the thieves invaded someone else's property to acquire the meat from the horse, which they were never entitled to and never earned. However, I cannot help but think of the cultural weight put upon horses as reserved for anything except culinary purposes. I believe the endorsement turning cattle into edible meat and the opposition of horses as such is mostly cultural, and somewhat, but not as much, ethical, and is, in likely no minor way, influenced by the widespread and greater than long-term use of horses as transportation before the advent of the automobile; horses were introduced to the Native Americans by the Spanish in and around the 16th century, and particularly the Plains Indians became known for their use of horses. I know Wendy's had an issue with potential horse meat in their burgers several years ago as well.

This is pontificating, however, and I am not an expert on this matter. I just know that it is a curious phenomenon, particularly in the Western world.

You have good points, but I think a lot of it comes down to, you can do a helluva lot more with a horse than a cow.
Not counting Oxen, but pretty much cows are good for leather,milk, food. They aren't good draft animals, they aren't great riding animals.

 

[orange_julius]

You have good points, but I think a lot of it comes down to, you can do a helluva lot more with a horse than a cow.
Not counting Oxen, but pretty much cows are good for leather,milk, food. They aren't good draft animals, they aren't great riding animals.

And they’re pretty useless for Mexican street porn. Or so I’ve heard.

 

[knockout]

Actually cows are used to pull Iight carts plus give milk, a poor family gets more use out of a cow than a horse or oxen
Back to the horse any real buyer, would see the difference in the color of the meat between a cow and a horse
Plus horse meat is very high in iron and very popular in many countries

 

[everjaded]

Actually cows are used to pull Iight carts plus give milk, a poor family gets more use out of a cow than a horse or oxen
Back to the horse any real buyer, would see the difference in the color of the meat between a cow and a horse
Plus horse meat is very high in iron and very popular in many countries

Is horse meat similar to venison? If imagine it would be. More muscular, leaner animal.

Still sad to see, although I realize logically that the distinction is mainly one stemming from an emotional vs practical place.

 

[Blunderbuss Firozabad]

I've always been suspicious of those cans of corned beef from Argentina that come with the keys to open them.
Besides tuna, foreign cans of meat? Blech!

 

[CentreAussie]

I don't give a shit if you eat a horse because you are hungry. I think it's same as eating a cow on a moral level. The moral question is about the political system that allowed the degeneration of a wealthy society to the point where hungry people steal and kill a racehorse in order to eat. This deflection of 'but, but we kill cows..' is insanely beside the point.

 

[JackBurton]

It is interesting that there is, developed in modern sedentary society, the double-standard of cows being acceptable to eat and horses not being. Given, stealing this horse was a terrible and condemnatory action because the thieves invaded someone else's property to acquire the meat from the horse, which they were never entitled to and never earned (EDIT: and also killed the poor thing!). However, I cannot help but think of the cultural weight put upon horses as reserved for anything except culinary purposes. I believe the endorsement turning cattle into edible meat and the opposition of horses as such is mostly cultural, and somewhat, but not as much, ethical, and is, in likely no minor way, influenced by the widespread and greater than long-term use of horses as transportation before the advent of the automobile; horses were introduced to the Native Americans by the Spanish in and around the 16th century, and particularly the Plains Indians became known for their use of horses. I know Wendy's had an issue with potential horse meat in their burgers several years ago as well.

This is pontificating, however, and I am not an expert on this matter. I just know that it is a curious phenomenon, particularly in the Western world.

Horses are far more useful and have far more personality/character. Cows are like fish, big fat land-fish, just dumb as rocks, dont do anything, just stand there eating.

Plus they taste good.