Stolen horse butchered for its meat. A camera caught a man near Palmetto stable
A horse was stolen from a pasture in Palmetto and later slaughtered for its meat at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.
A locked gate had been forced open, according to Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and the horse’s remains were found in a nearby field.
Law enforcement now have a person of interest in the case thanks to surveillance video. The footage was captured at the stables where the horse was kept in the 5800 block of Buckeye Road in Palmetto.
The video, recorded around 11:34 p.m. Sunday, shows a man looking around the stables with a flashlight; a saddle appears to be slung over one shoulder. The man is wearing glasses and has dark hair.
Law enforcement is now seeking the public’s help to identify the potential horse butcher.
The sheriff’s office said that the crime entails grand theft of a horse and animal cruelty.
While it is certainly illegal to steal a horse and kill it, killing horses for meat is yet to be permanently banned in the U.S.
The current U.S. Representative from Manatee County has been a consistent advocate for a permanent end of the practice.
“The slaughter of horses for human consumption is a barbaric practice that must end,” Rep. Vern Buchanan said in 2018 after a temporary ban was upheld with the passage of a federal spending bill.
Earlier this year, Buchanan introduced the Safeguard American Food Exports Act with Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., that would permanently make horse slaughter a federal crime as well as ban the export of horses or horse parts to be consumed in other countries.
The bill has not yet received a hearing, but it has garnered support from animal welfare groups.
Eating horse meat is also unsafe, as the animals are often treated with substances that do not meet FDA standards, according to the bill.
Anyone with information about the person of interest or the case is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 941-747-3011.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 4:11 PM.