And here’s our winner of the 2010 Asshat of the Year Award (Posthumous)
Jan 03 2010
This is a very graphic and shocking video about a guy named Monty Merola that ran an illegal horse slaughterhouse in New Jersey, one that is still operating after his October 2009 death.  They sell the meat very publicly on their Bravo Packing website.  The buyers are people who own exotic animals that eat horsemeat.  Monty starved the horses to keep the meat lean and frequently abused them, including bashing them with baseball bats.  Amanda Sorvino (yes, the daughter of the guy who was on Law & Order) actually went undercover herself to expose him.  Wow.
One tale of the whole story here — if it’s true, it sounds like a whole lot of rescue drama followed by a request that we NOT talk about this because “it will put the lawsuit in jeopardy.” Â Folks, I have worked in law for 15 years and I can not think of one case I’ve ever heard of where a case went bust because the media had covered it. Â Sure, the defense attorney is going to whine that the case has been tried in the media, and there might be a change of venue to get a less prejudiced jury/judge if a case has been hot in the local media, but every time I hear this “OMG don’t talk about it, you’ll jeopardize the CASE,” I call bullshit. Â Where someone’s blatantly guilty, they don’t get a pass because people talked shit about them on the Internet. Â Of course the case is a moot point now because the guy died.
TALKING about it is how you STOP it. Â Making sure that EVERYBODY knows who this guy was and what he was doing (and what his associates/family are obviously STILL DOING!) Â is how you stop it! Â We NEED to destroy this business by making the clients aware of their practices – Â most exotic animal owners don’t want to see any animal tortured like this. Â Oh, and as a vet friend notes, “Nothing develops blood dyscrasias faster than a cat (and cats are cats regardless of whether they are big or small), and bute is certainly right up there in the list of causes of blood dyscrasias.” Â Â So it’s not even healthy for the exotic animals!
Cockroaches like Merola and his associates who are still running this illegal slaughterhouse thrive in darkness and they LOVE it when those who would expose them hushes up because of some weird idea that somehow the justice system is going to effectively stop this crap if only everybody keeps the Very Important Investigation quiet. Â No. Â What is going to stop this crap is the public refusing to patronize this business and that takes publicity – so by all means, cross post this everywhere! Â You have my permission! Â Heck, the exotic animal owners should realize how toxic the meat is and how full of drugs. Â Do they have message boards we can post to?
From everything I can see, there are some folks that want this one hushed up. Â Why you ask? Â Well, I’d say this is a good place to start:
Because we totally want to bail out the horse slaughter industry!
WTF! WTF! WTF!
Well now we know why old Monty got away with this crap as long as he did, and why it is no doubt still going on. Â Hey, New Jersey? Â If you are worried about your reputation, stop fussing about Snooki’s hair and do something about this abomination in your midst and the asshat politicians who protected and funded it!
It’s just a very interesting case. The more I read, the more I say WTF?
Why hasn’t anything been done to close this business down? And no, that blog was posted in JUNE and this HASN’T made the papers. Â WHY? Â God knows you have evidence, you have VIDEO! Â What more do you want? Â It’s not like there’s any chance Sorvino’s accusations aren’t valid or this wasn’t going on. Â VIDEO.
This is why we have blogs, folks…for stuff the regular media is skeered of. Â Now the question is, who are they skeered of? Â Some NJ politicians who have been funneling Federal money to this abattoir? Â Or Merola’s buddies taking a shot at them? Â I cannot find ONE SINGLE MENTION of this in the “real” media.
This is Buttercup. She survived that hellhole and was personally rehabbed by the Sorvino family.
“Buttercup was living at Bravo for close to a year and was a part of Monty’s “lean meat” experiment. To procure lean meat, a horse must start out fat and healthy and then be starved for months to a point of lean muscle tissue. Buttercup was not only starved at the Bravo kill lot, but medically neglected as well. She had gashes on her right front leg and severe cellulitis on her left back leg that were left untreated by Monty and Joe Merola for months. Consequently, Buttercup will have chronic cellulitis for the rest of her life in her left back leg. Luckily, she is still rid-able and the vet would like her to be ridden to keep the swelling down.”
More about Buttercup and the undercover investigation is on Amanda Sorvino’s site Horsefellas. Â (MUSIC WARNING, if you’re at work) Â Oh, and graphic pic warning and wtf is with that logo…way too high drama for my tastes, but I really DO have to give the woman a LOT of credit for going undercover…putting yourself in personal danger to help horses is about as honorable as it gets in the rescue world. Â and let’s face it, many other celebrity kids do nothing but party, so you have to give her a motivation prize for using both her money and her personal time for something this valuable. Â She deserves a medal.
(And yes, if you followed the link, I do wish they wouldn’t put small children on her without a helmet. Â Safety first – please! )
So now here’s what I want to know:
Who is running Bravo Packing now? Â Joe Merola? Â They’re still selling horsemeat. Â Where would it be coming from if they weren’t illegally slaughtering it within the U.S.?
Who the hell decided Bravo Packing should get federal money of any kind?
WHY is no one talking about this story in the media?  Hello, New  Jersey Star-Ledger, I’m talking to you!  Is it run by the Mob, or what?  Um, apparently that was a good guess. I just tried to learn a bit more about the Merola family. I’m gonna get shot.  If I get shot for blogging about this, I want a polo tournament named after me, ‘k?
I mean, it’s great that karma bit Monty Merola in the ass and gave him the big C, but it doesn’t sound like his death did one thing to slow down the carnage at Bravo Packing, and I want to know why this story is as dead as he is. Â Let’s shut those scumbags down for good in 2010!
117 comments to “And here’s our winner of the 2010 Asshat of the Year Award (Posthumous)”
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Oh my goodness! How did this not get discovered before it got so out of hand? Surely some neighbors would have complained about the stench!! This needs to get stopped fast!!
Looks like birds of a feather flock together…Tony Morola’s baby mamma Dicia was arrested for a farm equipment theft ring in Salem county New Jersey.
http://www.nj.com/sunbeam/index.ssf?/base/news-6/126587400934760.xml&coll=9
I have always absolutely loved Paul Sorvino as an actor, and now I know why. Props to him and his daughter for what they`re doing; it`s always so very gratifying to read about someone who has acheieved fortune and fame using their finances for a worthy cause.
My kingdom for a top notch hacker….to creatively rewrite Bravo’s site with some truth inserted….
Added note…Amanda Sorvino is also the sister to Mira Sorvino, who is famous for the films Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, The Replacement Killers, Mimic, Mighty Aphrodite, and she’s also had guest spots on Will & Grace, House MD, and a few other shows. Great actress, I hear she has a really big heart, and judging by her dad and sisters’ actions I’d say those rumors are likely true. Kudos to Amanda Sorvino for putting herself through what she did to help those poor horses!
I checked out their website and they have a bunch of horses for adoption. One of them is called Startdust, I believe and this is what they said, “He also has the genetic disease, common in quarterhorses, called HYPP. His case is mild — he occasionally suffers minor seizures which go away after he is fed Karo syrup with a spoon.”
Is that true??? That a spoon full of karo syrup treats HYPP???
I’ve never heard of that before.
It does relieve symptoms, but if they are offering a HYPP positive horse as a potential riding horse, then you know I don’ t agree with that. Karo is good to have around if you’re trying to keep a positive horse comfortable but it certainly does not make them safe.
Did you notice Buttercup is only 2 1/2? HMMMMM???
Buttercup is older. The HYPP horse is 2 and a half.
Eeep. They’re also offering a HYPP positive and symptomatic horse, even listing it as a child’s horse.
“He also has the genetic disease, common in quarterhorses, called HYPP. His case is mild — he occasionally suffers minor seizures which go away after he is fed Karo syrup with a spoon.”
They’re saying he be used ‘mildly’ which appears to be ‘no more than 3x a week’. Oy.
And, of course, he will make sure that he does not seize whilst being ridden those 3 X, cos, well, that’s how it works, isn’t it??
Viewed Bravo’s website, interesting how it says beef is USDA inspected, etc. Nothing said about where the horsemeat comes from…
…..
What can you even say? Wow.
Wow. I debated on whether or not to watch the video. Kinda wish I hadn’t, that is just disgusting
Slaughtering horses is one (bad) thing, but to viciously abuse them like that is another. People who feel the need to “teach a horse (or any animal, for that matter) a lesson” totally disgust me. I do wish they had put the poor Belgian down though. He’s been through enough, and making him go through life totally blind really isn’t fair to him.
I am somewhat local and am definitely ready to get down and dirty working on shutting this place down. Does anyone know how to get involved?
yes im me at Penn Jersey Forums http://www.pennjersey.info/forums/cumberland-salem-county-forums/10831-bravo-packing-carneys-point-animal-cruelty.html where we have a Salem County NJ thread on this. FYI sadly for us that is where the business is. We have local contacts.
Great. Happy New Year.
But really: GREAT!! Glad this monster has crossed the fiery bridge. And exposing this systematic and officially sanctioned hellhole will get some pressure building. What was that about a polo tournament? That would just get more light and more bugs running for cover.
I don’t know..You could probably make some phone calls to a local news station but it seems as if there is a lawsuit and the whole situation is most likely under control…
I wonder who runs it now? Hopefully someone with a shred of respect for the animals.
Good on her and her family! Some one in jersey will hear about it and help it get out….Just need to keep shouting about it….
I thought horse slaughter was only illegal for human consumption. I could be wrong, but I heard it’s perfectly legal for zoo or kennel meat.
The guy who picks up dead horses in Ocala, FL will also come and shoot the animal for you and sometimes butchers and packages the meat. His freezers are overflowing with horse meat. Actually, I think this was already on this blog last year.
It is. What is illegal here is the abuse and neglect that took place (may still be taking place) and I believe he was in violation of proper licensing to have a slaughterhouse for meat for resale as well (probably still is). He tells people he does not kill horses on the premises, but he does. Like our buddy Mr. Hahn from a few weeks ago, when the heat was on, he simply killed all the horses and made them disappear.
What the game farms are doing when they allow people to bring in horses and they shoot them the same day, is not illegal. They are using the meat for their own animals and not reselling it. They do not keep the horses and neglect them in order to get leaner meat for the animals.
So how did Monty die? A blow to the face from a pissed off starved horse perhaps? A ferocious kick from a horse that had just been beaten?
Cancer. Karma’s a bitch.
I hope it was slow and painful.
Is it illegal to run a zoo supply packing house in NJ? I wasn’t aware that was illegal anywhere. It’s just illegal (in some places) to slaughter horses for HUMAN consumption (because of the USDA requirements and so on). There are a few animal supply slaughter plants scattered around the country still. Well at least 2 anyway!!
What I have read about big cat diets is that they need MORE fat than even normal horsemeat has and they supplement it with beef to get the fat content up! So starving horses for lean meat is just ridiculous. Then (if you read their products) they have to go buy beef to mix in with it! I think the guy just enjoyed torturing horses. What is ironic is he was a good rider and HIS horse looked fine of course. Guess he thought of them like cars or something. Like the guy with a mercedes who runs the auto crushing plant!
And that doesn’t count the contaminants that might be in the meat.
I can’t say I’m a bit sorry that guy got cancer and died. I hope he suffered a lot. What a creep.
I believe it is legal to slaughter horses for animal consumtion, just not human. It is still illegal to treat them inhumanely however.
What I have read about big cat diets is that they need MORE fat than even normal horsemeat has and they supplement it with beef to get the fat content up!
The Mazui Large Feline diet has 35% protein and 14% fat content. I’m not sure how much fat is usually in horse meat, but 14% does seem rather high, The canine diet has an 18% fat content. Bear diet is lower, at 10%, but they are omnivores and need more carbohydrates. (note: Mazuri doesn’t use horse meat in their products, I am merely using it for comparison). I’m using Mazuri for comparison because they are a brand of Purina and do a lot of nutrition research. I don’t work for them or sell their products.
Fugs, that’s Paul’s site, not his daughter’s. He was in Goodfellas, thus the whole scheme of the site. It’s wonderful to see people with money spending it on worthwhile causes instead of Vail and nosejobs. I wonder how long it took him to agree to let Amanda go undercover there! Even though she’s a woman, he must have had misgivings like any dad would. That whole family is awesome.
I am not one to cry over reading something, nor am I the type of person that cries during a really sad movie. Seeing those horses put me in tears and listening to this guy speak made me more than happy that he’s gone.
I cannot believe no one has done a damn this about this. I find it appalling that San Diego Zoo actually gets their meat from him. And I actually thought I wanted to work there…
OMG!!! I can’t believe that asshole took a bat to that drafts eye because it ran away from him! I hope that everyday he gets a bat taken to his eyes in Hell where we all know he is, and even that is to good of a place for his kind. Oh and of course he’s a sex offender to…great just freakin great!! What a total piece of crap!! Cancer was even to kind to him, I hope it was long and drawn out and extrememly painful. Kudos to Amanda for having the strenght and courage to deal with someone like Monty, I know I couldn’t have done it, I’d have been more inclined to do something with the .22 though
Yes, as an onlooker from overseas I’m gobsmacked by the apathy shown by the powers that be in New Jersey and I for one would certainly avoid visiting that US state purely because of their appalling animal cruelty record (doesn’t get any more appalling than this).
Once again money grubbing politicians rule the lives of humans and animals alike except in this case they’re not just ruling but promoting the torture and persecution of innocent animals by funding it (WTF???) and doing nothing to stop it.
Obviously they’re not concerned that the rest of the world would label them spineless, money obssessed, short sighted, bottom feeding pond scum (apologies to all the pond scum out there) given the face to face chance.
SHAME SHAME SHAME
Good luck to those of you ‘on the ground’ over there who can do something that will hopefully stop this abominable situation from continuing.
Yeesh. I think if I were a big carnivore keeper I would have someone teach me how to shoot and slaughter a horse myself. (that is, if I didn’t use one of the many formulated diets available) Between this and “sleeping beauty syndrome” (what happens when you feed meat that was from a horse that was euthanize rather than shot) I would be very, very paranoid about my food source…
Off topic, does anyone know a humane source of horsehair? I play the violin and most of the horsehair available comes from China or Argentina, and I’m sure we alllll know how that’s collected. Artificial horsehair sounds awful. It seems that good horsehair for stringed instruments might be a nice sideline for a farm or rescue, just collect it when you brush out their tail… but maybe I’m dreaming.
I have never heard of anywhere in the US that does a humane hair collection. I used to think that they bred horses with really thick manes and tails just to collect hair from but learned later that that want the case. It would be quite costly to feed a horse and have its sole purpose be growing hair. Seems like it would be a great side job for the thousand of PMU mares….But from what I understand a lot of those farms have closed. If I ever run across anything I will post it
Have we found the elusive purpose for the hairy fairy ponies?
/kidding
//plz don’t sic the GVH people on me
lol
actually bow hair is a funny thing. They sort it according it grade, but there is no real official scale. “Stallion” is supposed to be the best quality, so of course everything is called ‘stallion’! It’s all bleached white, except for the hair for basses, which is either naturally black or dyed black depending on how good it is. Supposedly black hair is coarser and grips thick bass strings better, which I don’t believe. If the artificial hair wasn’t sooo bad I would just switch to that. Maybe I should just go into business myself, there are plenty of stables around here that might sell me some hair that was combed out of tails.
‘Pony’ grade hair would be hilarious. Shorter than normal horse hair, for shorter than normal bows! (child-sized violins come in 1/4 to 3/4 sized)
Way back when I had an instructor who played bluegrass music (Eloise Schwarz back then, King now. Even made a few records with her husband, way back then…) and she would save the tale hairs of a Shetland pony they owned. She said that the pony’s tail hairs were coarse and made a delightful sound for her fiddle bow. Hairs were collected during grooming.
That’s a really interesting idea. What about retired horses? Someone is paying to pension them anyway.
Okay, Bravo Packing sends meat to 6 Flags safari park. I wonder what the public would think of this family-oriented park, if it was exposed where they got the meat they feed their cats and under what conditions. I realize these animals also need to eat, but torture horses to get it??? I am going to be contacting 6 Flags.
I’m in NJ and have never heard about this. I’m horrified! I will also be contacting Great Adventure. They’re a pretty big deal here, and everyone I know goes, including my family. I will NOT be going in the future until I know the truth about this. Taking a former racehorse or lesson pony and allowing them to be “hunted” by their big cats is horrific! I will be contacting them today. I’ll also drop a line to The Horse in NJ, the state’s equine newsletter.
Bravo Packing, Inc. maintains full product liability and is a good standing member of the AZA.
I’m pretty sure the AZA has policies against starving animals and withholding medical care. I’m assuming that Bravo Packing is a member or corporate sponsor rather than accredited institution because all accredited facilities have regular reviews, and there’s no way they would have passed.
Contact the AZA.
http://www.aza.org/form.aspx?ekfrm=109
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
8403 Colesville Rd., Suite 710
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3314
I’m going to be writing a letter to them and sending it to them via snail mail because real letters have a bigger impact than and email. Be sure to keep your letters calm, factual, and professional as they aren’t liable to heed emotional messages.
It’s easy to pass inspections if you know they are coming. I would be interested to know all of the law on this though – i.e. what are the local codes for this kind of facility? What are the restrictions? Is discharging a firearm in that location even legal? Merola was a felon – he wasn’t even allowed to own a firearm, but I want to know about whoever is doing it now. Is it Joe? Does Joe also have a felony record? I have to find out if the facility where he stored the horses is the same place they package the meat, or if it’s somewhere else. I will do some research tomorrow if I get a chance, or maybe someone who is local to NJ and already knows can post the facts.
do you want me to ask amanda to get in touch with you?
That would be great. Send her over. This is one place she will not be censored in any way. I want to know exactly what we can do, right now, to ensure that horses are not being tortured and starved at this facility anymore. I think it would be naive to assume that because Monty is dead, the place has cleaned up its act – particularly if it’s still in the family and being run by those who stood by and watched Monty’s abuses.
I’ve been through a couple zoo inspections, once was an AZA inspection when I was volunteering at the Oregon Zoo, the other an in-house inspection by the San Diego Zoo when I interned at the Maui Bird Conservation Center. Both times were very strict and high-pressure. At MBCC we were dinged for a cockroach colony in a storm drain outside, keep in mind this was in Hawaii, land of cockroaches, and there were no roaches in the food prep/storage area (which were disinfected weekly). Basically things are so strict that it is easier to follow policy than to hide things, or they will catch it. But that is AZA rules, and I’m pretty sure that Bravo is just covered by the USDA, not the AZA as they don’t seem to fall under Related Facilities. It might be easier to hide things from the USDA for all I know.
I feel like throwing up. I had to reread “in new jersey” a half dozen times before it sunk in. How have us NJers not heard about this?
That’s my #1 question!
Same as all the underground slaughterhouses in Florida aren’t known to Floridians I suppose. The only reason I’ve known about them is because I grew up galloping on the TB farms in Ocala and they’ve been around since then back in the 60′s and 70′s. They’re still here. People think the horses that sell at the crap shack auctions around here have to be trucked ALL THE WAY to Mexico or Canada…..not so! Florida has lots of illegal slaughterhouses and alot of those $50 crap shack aution horses that actually sell for $50 don’t leave the state for slaughter.
I looked it up on GoogleMap-doesn’t seem to have many neighbors to complaine..Did find their contact info. Really stupid,you can’t starve a profit out of anything and it usually gets you a lawsuit.
Does anyone know any more places that buy meat from this place? We’ve seen the San Diego wild animal park and Six Flags Great America (yep great for everyone but the horses that feed the big cats), anyone know more? I think we all definitley need to be writing letters.
Here’s an idea. If you have a zoo or wild animal park, sanctuary, etc, local to you, write them a letter. Let them know what they are buying if they are buying their meat from Bravo. Obviously don’t be accusing since you don’t know where they buy it, but just make it a kinda “FYI” type of thing. I’ve got a zoo and a wild animal sanctuary nearby. I’ll write a snail mail to the zoo, but I think I’ll email the wild animal sanctuary, as I’ve corresponded with them via email in the past, so I know it gets read.
I just heard back from the wild animal sanctuary, and they have never heard of the place, and when they run short on donations they buy frozen poultry locally. Glad to hear it! Now I have to write a letter to the zoo.
I’m a bit confused at how it was an illegal business? Horse slaughter is only banned for human consumption, and only in some states (IL, CA, TX). For non-human consumption as far as I know it is still legal everywhere (and if I’m not mistaken Dallas Crown still operates in that capacity though I could be totally wrong).
While the allegations of cruelty and mistreatment are terrifying, afaik the business itself is not or was not ever illegal…
I live in NJ…and i have never heard of this place. It’s in kinda an out of the way area, so i would assume just from that, a lot of people wouldn’t know much about it. In my area we have many rescues who have been working with the local auctions to save the kill pen horses. The past 2 or 3 months i am proud to say NO horses have been shipped to slaughter (that were saveable…the owner of the auction house works with the rescues willingly, doesn’t jack up the prices or anything…but he will keep certain horses away from the rescues…generally those that are dangerous…granted being Euthed would be much better, but the rescues are respecting him in this as he is working with them.)
I am going to email the information along to some of my contacts about this place..to see if anyone knows or can do anything..never know who might be on the email lists of horse people.
Great adventure (sorry we don’t call it 6 flags here. lol…) is slowly going bankrupt…so i am not sure what will happen with that.
The main auction that works with the rescues is Camelot Auction house in Cranbury, NJ and the website of the rescue that is mainly working with them is http://www.freewebs.com/hher/
They also have a Euthanasia fund, so that they can pay for a horse to be put to sleep if need be.
(sorry for sidetracking the posting)
But back to the main topic…i have never heard of this place, and i have lived here all my life. There are a lot of out of the way areas in NJ..esp. in the southern section…so it’s completely possible that it could have been going on for as long as it has, and no one knew anything.
Being that it’s pretty close to New Holland, it’s probable that the horses are being bought up cheap there and then turned over.
oh i do know of a newspaper writer…so i will email her about this as well.
Just when you think it can’t get any worse …
The Paulick Report expresses concern as to where Gov. Christie will side when it comes to slots at the tracks.
Our officials cannot make changes if they do not know of these types of “in the dark” activities. It’s like shining the light in the dark and watching the roaches run. We need more light.
If I were in charge of animals at the zoo, I would not want them fed meat from animals that were abused, certainly, but even more important, meat that contained all kinds of God-knows-what drugs. All of that stuff doesn’t dissipate when the animal dies (I watch Forensics Files ;o)
Important restatement: Be respectful and factual in your letters, e-mails and phone calls/faxes to the officials. Don’t sound like some of the nut jobs on other anti-slaughter and anti-animal abuse/cruelty sites.
I’d suggest a slew of letters to the AZA and San Diego Zoo about this. In fact, I’d suggest publicizing that the San Diego Zoo buys meat diets from this hell hole. Bad behavior deserves bad publicity, and doing business with this establishment demonstrates a complete lapse of professional judgment on several levels. what the hell kind of conservationists support this bs?? Give me a break!
I could not watch the video.. Hope they are shut down soon. I have a real problem with this. A quick shot to the head, and feeding the carcass to animals, is not problematic to me. This is cruelty, plain and simple. God bless the Sorvino family, they are willing to speak up, get involved, and put their money where their mouth is!
Same here. I have no issue with gunshot euthanasia if performed properly. That means you put the muzzle to their head, at that X between the eyes and the ear base, and you pull the trigger. You don’t chase them around loose with a .22!
It is not illegal to shoot a horse if done in the manner I described above. Doing it in any other way is cruelty, and that kind of case has been prosecuted many times (i.e. the guy in Oregon who shot the horse and it got loose and was rescued, as just one example). Not to mention that Mr. Merona was a felon who was not legally permitted to possess a gun in the first place! His actions were illegal on several fronts.
amanda (and buttercup!) are at my barn now. god bless her, she is an amazing person who does so much for horses. her whole life is about the horses.
Buttercup is a cutie pie. Did you get a read on her tattoo? What is her “real” name? Does her last racing owner/trainer know where she wound up? I hope so – maybe it will make them think twice. That’s a big pretty mare that could have been placed in any hunter/jumper barn if just a little bit of effort had been made.
This is just another example of supply and demand.
Why won’t humane groups get together and open a processing facility themselves. They could peacefully put the animals down with a single shot to the head and the meat could be used for large carnivores.
These groups are always rounding up donations as it is to support the shelters and euthanizing of pets. They could use the profits from the rendering plant to pay employees and do more good for other animals.
Why is it that every single processing plant has to be disgusting and show some form of abuse?
The need for slaughtering horses is not going to go away, no matter how strongly some are against it. There has to be a viable option for rendering horses without unnecessary violence, that would still be cost effective and run by humane personel.
There is a group in Northern California trying to open a humane slaughter plant with high sanitary and animal welfare standards. They have been shot down by animal rights activists at every location they have considered. You can read about it here
What bothers me the most is when animal rights activists prevent the creation of small, local, and more humane slaughterhouses in the name of “helping animals”. Without another option the animals are going to places like Chino’s plant or even going to horrible places like the one featured in this blog article. The meat eating is not going to stop – at least we should do right by the animals. If an activist wants to fight meat eating they can go ahead and do that but I think they are causing unnecessary animal suffering when they fight folks trying to do the right things (at least right by meat eater standards).
Don’t get me started! Those folks are so deluded. Either they have never looked at how nature works – it’s not kind – or their agenda is the destruction of humans.
But yes, I can promise you that they don’t care if animals are abused, as long as it promotes their point. They even abuse them themselves. (Silver Springs monkeys and Las Vegas Orangutans, for example. And let’s not even talk about PeTA’s deceitful pet rescue, where they pick up animals, promising to find them good homes, and just kill them, sometimes right in the van.)
I suspect that, deep down, they believe that if they “save” all animals from eeevil humans, all the animals will love them; bears will hug them, lions will lick them…
Ruthie
Now, scuse me while I feed water, and clean up after my “slaves.”
Found this on C/L—IF someone is looking for kid safe horse they might be in luck– I am only going off what the ad says, I have NO IDEA if the ad is true. I hope this mare ends up in a good place, not bad.
http://spokane.craigslist.org/grd/1536733344.html
Hrm… one thought. The San Diego Zoo might not *know* that this place is a hellhole. By all means contact them, but do it *calmly,* or you might be dismissed as a hysterical crank. Not even New Jerseyites appeared to know about this issue, so why should we necessarily expect that a zoo 3,000 miles away might? They SHOULD, but think about the expense of sending their own people out there, when they’ve probably been assured by more local (to NJ) “inspectors” that the meat was safe. Hell, that was probably this place’s reason for offering their services to the San Diego Zoo!
Also, beef raised for human consumption has MUCH more than 14% fat. Even the Smithsonian feeds horsetails to their lions as a Sunday snack. Though iirc, the Smithsonian does the slaughter on premises, under the auspices of a USDA inspector and their own vets. They *really* don’t like to take chances with the animals at the National Zoo.
-Gryph
“Exotic carnivores?” WTF?
Unbelievable.
It means big cats, bears, wolves, etc. From the looks of things they may be mostly supplying zoos rather than pet owners, although there are private individuals who own them as pets. Which I don’t really recommend, I have a housecat who is downright vicious when she wants to be, I can’t imagine how terrifying she would be if she were cougar-sized. I’d probably be missing an arm by now!
In my area there is a “Wild Animal Park” which IMHO is less of a sanctuary and/or educational medium than it is for profit, I don’t care IF they have their 501(c)3. At least one veterinarian in an adjoining county authorizes its business manager to offer the option of sending sick/lame horses and other livestock for live kill. The business manager phrases that option in graphic terms with much grisly glee and a general disregard for whatever meds might be in the potential victim’s body, alternating that (when called on it) with the suggestion that the sick or lame horse, in one particular case, be taken off meds for “a week or so” and shipped in pain the nearly hundred miles to said Wild Animal Park to become dinner for the big predators.
As long as there are people to whom profit overwhelms common sense or any sense of compassion for ill or injured animals this sort of thing will continue. “Follow the money” and that will tell you all you need to know. There is NO mercy where money is concerned.
How and why did RescueInk tip them off? I like(d) that show, even if they are hard to understand when they speak.
I saw an email from Manes and Tails regarding that horrible man and the Bravo meat company. I wrote to the gov. of NJ and asked that they look into the conditions there. I never got a reply. The Manes and Tails woman said that she could never get any cooperation from the gov’s office either.
I am so glad that he had cancer and I hope he suffered a lot and for a long time before he died. Karma will get you in the end. I have cursed the people who are continuing to operate that hell hole and I know that they will get theirs as well.
And who the hell in the government decided to subsidize corn? Sheesh. Not only do we give our tax dollars to bail out slimey horse slaughterin’ guys, we give our money to grow more corn, which is absolutely the easiest crop to grow in america, and has gone from a normal grain to a completely wacked out, unhealthy, huge yellow chunk of sugar that winds up in everything from steak (corn is not a cow’s natural diet, so grass fed beef is much healthier and carries less risk of E. Coli and salmonella that corn fed beef) to toothpaste to bread. Gah.
I heard about this hell hole a couple of weeks ago, and I was shocked. I am so glad it is getting exposure.
I am the originator of the Bravo Packing investigation. Monty never figured out that I was investigating him and I was keeping tabs on him until the week before he died. The reason that I cannot get an Executive Order to shut the place down is because every single request I sent be it by telephone, fax, email, or snail mail was never seen by Governor Corzine because NJ Ag is totally PRO slaughter. I am still working on it with the help of Mayor Booker in Newark. I asked for the statement I posted to be taken down not because it would jeopardize the case, but because I kept getting threatened with lawsuits for defamation of character by one of the people who infiltrated the investigation.
Joe Merola – Monty’s father – is still operating the slaughterhouse but he does not like to slaughter horses. So he is doing that less and less. He does not go to any auction, he actually takes walk ins and charges 50 bucks. Monty used to send his brother Mark to Camelot or Frank Carper or Nickerson would drop some of the horses off on a Wednesday evening.
It is illegal to slaughter a horse and its cousins for any reason by virtue of the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958. There is no method of slaughtering these animals that can ever comply with the statute. The gunshot is not sufficient because although it certainly stuns the animal, they do regain consciousness and the .22 is not a large enough caliber to achieve the massive brain destruction required to truly render the horse unconscious. The correct way to euthanize a horse with a gun is to put the barrel in the ear; not by drawing and ‘x’ on the head and shooting between the eyes. They cannot be dead because they have to be bled out and the heart has to be working while they are being vivisected.
Joe Merola has been slaughtering cattle since 1960 and he is USDA inspected because he obviously slaughters the bovines for human consumption. The funds that Bravo Packing got from the Feds is for the testing they do for Mad Cow Disease. Bravo is a small concern in the cattle industry. Monty did not start slaughtering horses until 1995. He was as dumb as a box of hammers and I am very glad that he is no longer alive. He was one of the most revolting creatures I ever met in my life! His dogs feared him, and so did his personal horses. He was a terrible rider and was always falling off his horse when he went to the Rodeo.
Amanda was very brave and I will have to check out the web site and see about the Quarterhorse with HYPP. I am not aware that she has such a horse. HYPP horses can be managed for quality of life, but they do die young. I have a 20 year old Quarterhorse who is one of the last of the ‘Impressives’ and he is double negative for HYPP. He is a fabulous horse and is totally goofy.
I will continue to get the Governor of New Jersey to shut horse slaughter down in the state of NJ. I know he would do so if he were ever made aware of my requests, which I have been making since October 2, 2008!!! NJ Ag really sucks and they have been protecting Bravo for years because they are totally Pro slaughter and the State Troopers get horsemeat to feed to their K-9 dogs. It is very dirty and dangerous to fight these people.
So, please do not criticize me for asking for the statement to be removed. I am never in the mood for a lawsuit to be filed against me.
Elle
http://www.manesandtailsorganization.org
If I had a dime for every threat of lawsuits I get with this blog, I’d be a millionaire! I wouldn’t worry too much. Lots of people like to make threats, few of those people like to pay the thousands in legal fees it costs to carry out those threats. It’s hot air 99.9% of the time and if it’s not, I’m pretty sure there’s at least one NJ lawyer reading this blog who’d represent you pro bono! Everybody here appreciates that this investigation took place and that video is on youtube for all to see.
I appreciate the information! So is Joe keeping horses at the actual address of Bravo Packing? Has anyone been there since Monty’s death to see if his practice of starving the horses to improve the meat quality continues, as well as the other abuses?
What is the BEST thing, in your opinion, for my readers to do if they want this investigated the way it ought to be?
I have to disagree with you about the only correct way to shoot a horse – I’ve discussed this with vets and the “x” is the information they’ve given me. Now, the ear method may be just as valid. That said, we both agree that chasing them with a small caliber rifle is NOT EVER a humane way to do the job!
Like you, I hope Merola suffered and I’m glad he’s dead. Good riddance.
BTW: IT is not an X drawn between the eyes. There is nothing between the eyes but bone and nasal cavities. The X that is talked about is the spot at the base of the forelock, where the hair turns directions. The hair from the top of the head goes up from that point and from the face goes down (usually) from that point, thus making a faint “X”. It is at the base of the forelock where one shoots, but that is not infallible. A veterinarian researching “humane” bolt killing in horses (he was PRO bolt) said he personally killed 100 horses by placing the bolt at that spot and “only” missed on two. Only two. Comforting to those two, I’m sure. And this was a guy who knew horse anatomy inside and out. How many slaughterhouse workers could say that?
I am, and have always been, of the opinion that a violent death is not a humane death. (That one is not a violent death does not guarantee humaneness, either, as we all hope was proven by that slimeball’s cancer death.) No slaughter is a humane death. Just the knowledge of the horse behind the one being killed, that he is next–and they are smarter than folks think, they WILL know that–each horse will die in terror, even if the bolt is accurate on first try. He will see the one in front. He will smell its blood. The slaughterhouse supply line moves too fast to allow each animal to be led in, killed, and then dragged and all blood cleaned up before the next is brought in.
Also, there is the problem of the slaughterhouse workers. After seeing so much death, does not the living horses begin to mean less to those people? Why worry about whether a horse is frightened (except for your personal safety) or injured? He’ll die in a few minutes, so who cares?
If we have so many horses we cannot find homes for them all, then we are doing something wrong. We need to FIX THIS. Horses are suffering and dying because WE can’t produce fewer and higher quality foals, and MAKE SURE we have homes for every one. Breeders need to possess a lifelong sense of responsibility for each animal they cause to be born. We, as the “intelligent” species, have caused this problem single handedly. We are the ones who must solve it.
Now, I’m getting off this soapbox.
Elle, can you point me to the part of the Humane Slaughter Act of ’58 that says it’s illegal to slaughter horses? Because if that were true how come they’re still trying to pass a federal ban and plants were operating until very recently (and those that were shut down were shut down by state laws, not federal).
I just looked it up and everything I’m finding doesn’t mention horses at all except to include them along with cattle and swine as to what constitutes “humane” slaughter.
I don’t think what was happening at Bravo was in any way inhumane, just trying to understand the facts here, and when cases are made with bad facts sometimes it sinks the entire case, you know?
oops, I meant “I don’t think what was happening at Bravo was in any way humane” (not inhumane. That was a horrible typo, and I’m appalled at myself for making it.)
Sorry for the incomplete post – I hit a wrong key on my laptop! You can find the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958 at this page on my site:
http://www.manesandtailsorganization.org/captive_bolt.htm
This is a very short, concise statute that cannot be weakened. Horses and all other Equidaes cannot be slaughtered by any method and be in compliance with the statute. Horse slaughter is already illegal and has been since 1958.
Regarding another investigation; it is very difficult to because you have to build up a trust with the people you are investigating and Joe Merola is now very suspicious. Nobody he does not know personally will ever gain the access that I and Amanda got. The only way he is going to be shut down is by an Executive Order from the Governor of New Jersey. I am still trying to get that. You can also read my newsletters from last year regarding this issue:
http://www.manesandtailsorganization.org/newsletters/May-20-09_newsletter.htm
http://www.manesandtailsorganization.org/newsletters/june_3rd_newsletter.htm
http://www.manesandtailsorganization.org/newsletters/june_7_newsletter.htm
NJ Ag threatened to sue me, I got so many threats to sue me you have no idea. I kept passing them back to the detective and the ADA in Salem County.
Thanks,
Elle
Elle,I applaud you for everything that you have done to try to remove this atrocity of Bravo Meat from this earth. I corresponded with you by email a long time ago and I tried writiing to Gov. Corzine but to no avail. His office never answered my email but they put me on their email list to send me updates on his “good works”. HA.
Elle, KEEP UP YOUR GOOD WORK.
I must have missed the original post because my friends and I go to Cow Town Rodeo all the time, and I go to school miles from where this is happening…. needless to say I will be contacting every news station and local news paper I can get a hold of, and every horse person in the area up in arms. This will not happen in my backyard.
-Caitlyn
I just spoke with Amanda and the HYPP horse has been adopted and will be retired. The horse is being boarded where she boards her horses, so she will always see Stargazer.
Thanks,
Elle
Glad to hear that.
I am also the owner of a N/N Impressive bred horse (two, actually) and love them both…I’m sure Stargazer got dumped originally because he lost the HYPP lottery, and it’s why I’m so outspoken against those who breed this known, totally preventable defect on.
I just saw this auction on CL http://hermistonhorsesale.com/ and noticed several horses coming through from the Challenged Riders Program (nonprofit, will take donated horses according to the website). I wonder how many of the people who donated their horses knew they would end up at auction…. some for very cheap. I don’t know if there were KB there or not, but I assume so.
Yeah, there always are. They will probably end up with SOS Equines, the kill buyer she buys horses off of drags home old camp horses like that all the time and she gets them and places them.
If they are going to make arrests, they may have sent in undercover buyers for horsemeat – people who would ask that it be shot right there for them, etc. Just like making legal bust for prostitution at a “health club.” I got inbetween setup/investigation of a crack house across the street from us. They had an undercover guy LIVING THERE while I was making a HUGE stink about it. So that can happen. They needed me to quiet it down so they could get buyers coming in.
after reading that it has me wondering if there is a place like that in washingtion??? and we dont know about it? i mean if no one knew about the one in nj what makes us think there couldnt be one some where in this state??
There is a special corner in hell for people like Monty. Kudos to Amanda, she is much stronger than I could have been.
OT…two FREE Clydesdales on my craigslist…says they are underweight, but no pics….I can only imagine what they may look like…anybody like to rescue them?? It doesn’t give a location city, but I’m in Pittsburgh, PA
not sure how to post this, but I could email the web address to anyine interested…
Free Clydesdale to good home!
——————————————————————————–
Date: 2010-01-04, 5:18PM EST
Reply to: sale-cqaqd-1537353282@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
——————————————————————————–
Two clydesdale belonged to my friend who is having personal problem. They need some wieght. I have my own horses to worry about. One is a gelding and the other needs gelded.
PostingID: 1537353282
Makes you wonder why he got cancer. Was he possibly eatting his owntainted horse meat? That filled with medications, wormers, and other drugs? Makes me wonder.
He was an alcoholic and it typically causes throat cancer, along with other types.
Poor Babies!!! Go buttercup and stargazer! hope that all gets taken care of..
I’m very perplexed as I am from NJ and haven’t heard about this. I did some googling-
In July this issue came up on another blog: http://www.care2.com/news/member/525884267/1191162
They linked to this Flickr page of photos from his place: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40211265@N06/
Bravo also seems to have a raw dog food line- http://bravosnaturalrearing.com/Main/about.htm On this site (http://onibasu.com/archives/kn/97504.html) I found a woman asking about his food quality, since when she asked the owner about it, he replied ” When I talked to the owner about quality control, he said he feeds it to his Fila’s and if they don’t die, he knows the food is okay.”
They’re also listed as an “animal carcass removal service.”
Found some more stuff:
http://www.rockymountainrider.com/articles/0409_zoo_diets.htm
” Bravo Packing, Inc., in Carney’s Point, New Jersey , supplies horse meat to zoos and removes dead animal carcasses for veterinarians and individuals. The owner, who angrily refused to identify himself, and loudly cursed the media and humane organizations that he declared had been harassing him, eventually calmed down enough to explain that people bring him horses and “they request the horse be used for animal food.â€
“We are not a rendering plant. We process [kill and butcher] about five horses a month and about 90% of them are donated. They are old or blind or crippled or buck . As long as the owners request they be used for animal food, we are legal,†explains the owner. “We are one of the last places that do this in the U.S. â€
OMG…this is probably the most disgusting waste of skin I’ve ever witnessed…this guy was sick…I didn’t get to read the whole blog, but what did he die of? overdose?…I’m hoping that 1 of those horses had kicked him in the head and he bled out, suffering…something “close” to what he’s made them go through…this is just sickening how this guy shows NO remorse…kudos to Miss Sorvino…keep up the good work…we need someone out there who has “pull” in the media to get stories like this out there…I just don’t even know what to say about this guy really…except the fact that he is, sorry, wasssss, a real fucktard
I agree that this guy needed to be dead and painfully so,but please stop calling cancer Gods revenge–See,I’ve had cancer 3 times so far-breast,uturin and now stage 4 colon cancer. I’m in remission right now and off chemo. I never did anything to deserve this. Y’all keep on shining the light on the bad guys..
I am so thankful for the awareness this blog brings to cruelty issues re: horses. I would have never guessed this kind of thing was going on and now there have been two similar posts within a few days of each other, with backyard slaughter facilities in two different states. Hopefully this facility and the others like it are permanently shut down and the miserable human beings involved can never touch another horse again – that video is sick.
This story really got my goat. A friend posted it on Facebook. I sent this page link to the ASPCA immediately. If this is still going on, It’s going to stop! Apparently this guy is dead. Good. But this company is still in operation. Bad. So I’m going to investigate this. I’ll report to reps in Washington and friends in major media if this need public attention still. This is 2010. This stuff can’t be happening. It’s insane. People need to be putting down their own old horses BEFORE removal for one. Anyway. This make me really sick, I’ll get to the bottom of what’s still happening and do all I can to stop it if it still is. I don’t understand how this wasn’t taken to the authorities sooner, rather then having to have a web page built about it. I’m a animal rescuer, horse farm manager, law marketer and web developer. If you know of other cases like this, please report them to the authorities immediately. This case seems to of gone on for a long time, and still is. What’s the deal?
john@lawfirm.com 908 879 0455
Timberstone, I’m glad to see that you want to do something about this hellhole. It is still in existence and even though they say that the father is no longer slaughtering horses, I don’t believe it. I think they are continuing to do what was being done before Merolas’s death. If you have any clout as a lawyer or if you can help to fight this place, please do so.
One of the areas that has been tried is to write to Gov. Corzine. That is a dead end but I wish you would try it anyway. His office did nothing but put me on their email list and now have the gall to send me updates on all the “good” his office is doing. Ms. Manes and Tails has been writing the good gov. for a long time now to no avail.
Prosecutor: And he can’t spell.
Judge: “Oh my God he can’t spell. We better lock him up right away.”
Fugly, couldn’t you find a source that wasn’t written by a nut job?
Holy. Crap. Paul Sorvino. He played Rotti Largo in Repo! The Genetic Opera. I am so, so, so excited to see that he went and did THIS. What a freaking AWESOME guy! This makes me love him even though he played a bad guy.
I wish more celebrities went out and did cool stuff like this.
Like David Spade — never was a fan until he heard about a police station that needed new gear and couldn’t afford it, and walked into the station with a check to cover the costs.
Why don’t celebrities understand that when they give back, people HEAR about it?
I am disgusted and furious after reading this and watching the video. I said some pretty raw things on another forum about Merola and my comments were deleted. I expected it but I am going to try to keep my comments to something that can be left on here. He was a scumbag that deserved to be punished for the cruelty he inflicted on innocents.
I have hatred in my heart for him and those like him. There is no excuse for cruelty,EVER.
The Sorvinos are HEROES!
The woman who originally brought Bravo to my attention is connected with Manes and Tails. She has tried to bring justice for those abused horses for a long time.
I love her comment “he was as dumb as a box of hammers”. Being dumb is no crime but animal cruelty is a crime.
I really do not know how anyone can make undercover videos or do undercover work when abuse is involved. I would, of course , be in jail by now if I had tried to do it because I would have attacked him with a baseball bat myself.
DO NOT REST IN PEACE, Monty Merola, DO NOT REST AT ALL, BURN IN HELL FOREVER.
There, that is one of my more subdued posts and the best I can do for this subject.
I am physically ill after seeing this. I don’t understand the human race at all and offended that I am part of it at times.
Email from ASPCA concerning Bravo Packing.
Dear Sir:
Thank you for your email. We at The NJSPCA share your sense of concern about all instances of animal cruelty, and we sincerely appreciate you informing this office in this particular matter.
We have taken this complaint very seriously and will have an agent investigate as soon as possible.
We truly appreciate your concern and efforts on behalf of the welfare of animals.
Sincerely,
Officer Frank Saracino #820
Public Information Officer
NJ State Humane Police
1119 Livingston Ave.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
800-582-5979 (HQ)
973-735-3082 (Cell)
732-247-0493 (Fax)
Yea, isn’t it always sweet when you contact a government agency about a serious problem, and they respond with a blanket response Email that clearly indicates that they have not yet, probably never will read your Email/letter, and furthermore just want you to know they GOT your communication, so you will quit sending more?
“In this particular matter”
“Your complaint”
Please. Even scam artists can be THAT personable in a response Email.
i live in new jersey. i live on the jersey shore, to be precise – and no, it isn’t anything like how that stupid show makes it look.
i thought the mtv show was the only thing i’d have to be embarassed about at this point in time.. i was just on craigslist, looking up horses, because kelli loves to look at things which kelli cannot have, and i found an ad. in it was a link to this blog entry. i’ll admit, i used to be an avid reader but lately i haven’t been as much.. too much seriousness for me these days.
when i saw the words ‘slaughter house’ and ‘new jersey’ in the same sentence, i, sitting in class, actually said ‘oh shit’ out loud. i had no idea.. no idea whatsoever.
i am embarassed for my state. i am embarassed BY my state. yes.. the asbury park press is getting an email about this before i leave this classroom. thinking the news stations around here should get one as well.
this is disgusting. i can’t believe i haven’t heard about it until now.
i’ve sent an email to the asbury park press’s news tips address. hopefully they look into it and the story gets published – i’ve asked them to let me know if/when they decide to publish something on it.
i’ve also submitted this to msnbc.com.
now we wait and see.
I read the following poem today, and thought what a better place this world would be if everyone had this same philosophy about horses, and not treat them as a comodity or money making scheme:
MY GRANDEST FOAL
~ Author Unknown ~
I’ll lend you for a little while my grandest foal, He said.
For you to love while she’s alive and morn for when she’s dead.
It may be one or twenty years, or days or months, you see.
But, will you, till I take her back, take care of her for me?
She’ll bring her charms to gladden you, and should her stay be brief,
You’ll have treasured memories as solace for your grief.
I cannot promise she will stay, since all from earth return.
But, there are lessons taught on earth I want this foal to learn.
I’ve looked the wide world over in my search for teachers true.
And from the throngs that crowd life’s lanes, with trust, I have selected you.
Now will you give her your total love, nor think the labor vain,
Nor hate Me when I come to take her back again?
I know you’ll give her tenderness and love will bloom each day.
And for the happiness you’ve known forever grateful stay.
But should I come and call for her much sooner than you’d planned
You’ll brave the bitter grief that comes and someday you’ll understand.
For though I’ll call her home to Me this promise to you I do make,
For all the love and care you gave she’ll wait for you, inside Heaven’s Gate.
Bintecho,
THANK YOU for sharing this beautiful poem. I cried when I read it but I am sharing it with many friends.
Oh my god. I used to read this blog religiously, but life happened and I haven’t checked here in months…until now.
I live in NJ.
I MET this man. I have BEEN there!
I was in high school and didn’t know anything going on there was illegal. I never saw abuse during my few visits, in fact the horses I saw were treated relatively nicely, they were in a decent enough pasture and had free access to hay. I am completely speechless and trembling now. I don’t know what happened there, but all I can say is that Monty came across to me as a decent guy.
I don’t think I want to say anything else right now, I am pretty frazzled. I didn’t know Monty well enough to say anything else. I wish I could talk to Amanda myself.
Hi this is Amanda Sorvino. FYI: Elle Nash commenced the Bravo investigation in January of 2008. I joined the investigation in February of 2008. Sharon Crumb and her boyfriend, Frank, accompanied me to the Bravo kill lot and slaughterhouse several times during the tail end of the investigation.
They don’t play by the rules at Bravo Packing, as you can see from the youtube video. Oh, correction: there was one rule at Bravo: Monty had to be fully drunk before shooting horses. He would not target practice unless he was, in his own words, “loaded.”
All evidence will be used against Bravo to shut it down. Due to Monty’s dying months, the case was held up. Bravo will eventually be shut down but for legal reasons, I am not at liberty to discuss the current case against Bravo.
In 20 years no horses ever left Bravo in anything other than a tube meat product. When the investigation wrapped, I left the plant with 9 horses … most of these horses had been living at the Bravo kill lot for months, waiting until it was their turn to die due to Monty’s planned starvation induced lean meat status.
9 horses came to our rescue farm to rehab in the Poconos, PA. One, an elderly standardbred named Midnight Glitter, died after tremendous and expensive efforts to save his life. Midnight Glitter had a profound effect on my life and I will never forgive Monty for starving him to the point of no return. My daughter made a stepping stone to honor his memory. We gave Glitter the most lavish funeral a horse could ever have at our farm in the Poconos. A beautiful silver Christmas wreath was placed over his grave. Children and fans attended this most special funeral to pay their respects to a horse who suffered unrelentingly at the hands of a monster but gave nothing but love, grace and magic to everyone he touched during the happy months he spent with us. I will never forget Glitter’s cute and comical trot as long as I live — or his long, thick black mane … or his dignified, British aura. Glitter sure looked regal in his double winter blankets. He was buried in his green and purple tweed blanket with Mr. Quick’s fuzzy stable sheet underneath … And a purple halter with the emblazoned words, “I Love My Horse.”
We adopted out 6 of the horses … and Scotchy, the blind draft horse, went to the home of a lifetime in NE. Linda, his adopter, adores him and spoils him rotten. She has built him an enormous, blind-friendly stall and has redone 2 pastures to accommodate his blindness. She has also given him the gift of equine companionship … his pasture buddy is her daughter’s favorite horse, Chief. Chief has become Scotchy’s second set of eyes.
But Linda is convinced that Scotchy can see in his own way … and I believe her.
I still have 2 of the Bravo horses: Buttercup and Frankie’s Girl, named after Sharon Crumb’s boyfriend.
Stardust has been adopted by one of HorseFellas’ board members and most generous benefactors. The Summers family has retired Stardust at a luxury boarding stable at which I board all our special needs “HorseFellas.” They do not ride him … they simply visit him, groom him, and finance his care. Our adoption standards are extremely strict. We would not dream of putting our horses or our adoptive clients in jeopardy.
Dr. Alan Summers and family have a brilliant 26 year old autistic daughter named Diana who is an advocate for special needs people and animals. She will undoubtedly be little Stardust’s champion … and will be telling his unique story to the world on her own TV show. She also plans to interview Scotchy and his special adopters in NE because Scotchy is role model for all blind and special needs horses who deserve to live out full and rewarding lives in the scope of extraordinary special care.
Scotchy’s surgeon at Mid Atlantic adored him, and felt he would have a happy, fulfilling, and healthy life as a blind horse with quality special care.
In closing, I feel honored to have been a part of the Bravo Packing investigation. I never allowed Monty to kill a horse in front of me because that would go against every ethical thread of my being. The game plan at Bravo was to convince Monty to not kill horses and instead, give them to me and Elle for a “therapy program.” While undercover, Elle and I had it all worked out. We spent hundreds of hours convincing this serial horse killer to set aside horses and spare their lives.
Horses at Bravo were target practiced with a .22 after Monty would go into the kill pen and attempt to “trick them” with a pink bucket of grain. They would all run madly away from him when they saw that pink bucket because many of them had been around long enough to know his death trap routine. After being shot, usually not in the head, the horses were front-loaded by Mexicans into the plant and then hung from the ceiling, still very much alive — still conscious.
Monty admitted that they were still alive several times on tape … he even said once it turned him on to watch them flinching while he started chain sawing off legs. It was customary for him to be eating a sandwich while slaughtering.
My daughter’s 11 year old friend personally witnessed Monty’s brother hauling the Bravo Packing truck full of “live horses” to 6 Flags Great Adventure.
Monty would call it “the hunt.” Horses would be led into the guillotine doors of blood thirsty lion pens. Subsequently, lions who did their own hunting at Great Adventure were more “exciting” for the crowds who visited them later that day. The lions would still be revved up form the early morning’s hunt … and thus, would not look boring and tired and old.
I am very grateful to Sharon Crumb and her boyfriend, Frank for going into the trenches with me and making numerous calls to save horses at Bravo. It’s not a walk in the park to plow through kill pens and brave the inside of a horse slaughterhouse. But Crumb went in with me and stood in front of the meat locker: we will both forever be haunted by the sick, bloody smell of dead horses.
The horse that was hanging dead in the youtube video was a horse Elle Nash had brilliantly and arduously planned to save. Monty agreed to surrender the emaciated standardbred to “The Gluck Research Center” for a dreaded “ant hill surgery.” That was the undercover fiction Nash used to spare his life — tragically the horse dropped dead of starvation in a muddy ditch the morning the truck came to rescue him.
I thought I would faint when Joe Merola dragged me into the slaughterhouse to lay eyes on the horse we fought so hard to save. Elle had even named him: “Rob Roy.” I walked into the chamber of horrors: All at once Bob Marley was hanging from a trolley, his head already severed off, skinned, and smelling of putrid infection and death. At one point Merola actually tried to drag me into the horse carcass freezer, AKA the meat locker.
I spent a year of my life staring death in the face and I have seen, heard and smelled things that could only live in nightmares. Yes, Monty was a convicted sex offender. I could have been raped or killed. But I would do it all over again just to get those 9 horses out of their holocaustal circumstances … to see the looks on their faces when they saw rolling hills of green acres … to be guided by human hands into warm, fluffy stalls … and have winter blankets put on them … in 3 seconds flat coming off that rescue truck they knew they were safe and that God was on their side … or angels … they believed that some force greater than all this enraptured them under wing of compassion.
I hope and pray Bravo Packing will be brought to justice. I actually know it will.
I dedicate all future horse rescue endeavors to the memory of my dear friend, Midnight Glitter, RIP.
Amanda Sorvino
http://www.horsefellas.com
(new site: the old one Network Solutions tried to charge us $2500.00 to replace the old inciting Godfather logo and page design and music that we all know was offensive to many … so now the new site is basic and simple and no frills … still under construction so please no critiquing, LOL!!!)
Dear Amanda,
I have been working with horses all my life. Until a few years ago I was unaware of the horrors of the slaughterhouse and all that entails. How could I have missed so much cruelty? For one thing, the internet has brought so much information to our lives that we did not have in our “sanitized” society of radio and t.v.
When I was young I heard about horses being sent to “the auction” and I thought that they were just going to be bought by another person for riding. Of course that was not the case in a lot of instances, but I was not aware. I saw horses “sored” in the show ring in the walking horse classes and we always shouted loudly to the judge to “take off the boots” when we thought they had been sored.
Most of the horses that I rode in my youth were treated well and I was not privy to dealings that were made behind the barn, out of our earshot. My first acquaintance with a starved horse was one bought from a dealer at the barn where I worked . We named him Faraday, he was a rawboned,thin black gelding, no one knew his past.Faraday was ridden by the most unskilled riders at our barn when he first arrived. We padded him up with double pads to protect his skinny withers and backbone from the saddle.
Faraday was amiable enough and gentle to ride. That was when he first arrived. After about two or three months of good food and hay, Faraday started to fill out and glistened with good health. He was too much horse for any but the most experienced of us to ride. His owner, my boss, tried him over jumps and he soared! He was an eagle! My boss asked around and finally found out that Faraday had been a steeplechaser! He had fallen on hard times, we don’t know why, and had gotten so thin that he had no energy. That is just one of many stories that I can tell of horses fallen on hard times. I loved them all but was not in any position to help them all then. That is why I am fiercely in rescue mode now as I have gotten older. Unfortunately I do not have a large bank account to do everything that I would like to do. I send money to as many rescues as I can afford to help.
I DO NOT KNOW HOW YOU AND ELLEN WERE ABLE TO DO WHAT YOU DID. I admire you both so very much for your efforts to save the ones you could and to shine a big spotlight on the cockroaches that call themselves Bravo Meat. I cried whle reading your story of Rob Roy. I cried while reading your story of Midnight Glitter, I cried while reading your story of Scotchy. I got so furious after reading and watching the video that I wanted to have Monty alive just for one hour so that I could get my hands on him. My heartfelt compliments and admiration to you and Ellen and all of your friends and family that have brought this story out in the open. I will continue to follow this story and my sincere thanks to all of you for your efforts. WE MUST ALL CONTINUE TO SPEAK FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO VOICE.
Hello Amanda!
I appreciate what you did for those nine horses. I personally am against the slaughter of horses, and them getting a second chance is a wonderful thing. I had met Monty and been to the lot a few times myself. I did not know him well, but my best friend was very close with him.
I have a question for you. There was a very sweet bay pinto pony gelding at the slaughter lot, probably between late fall 2007 and spring of 2008. I named him, his name was Peter. He arrived with another horse, I think the other was a liver chestnut. I just wanted to see if you possibly remembered him or had gotten to know him. You see, I truly loved this horse once I met him there and I would be interested if you could tell me anything else about him. It’d just be nice to hear any memories of him if you had them. As for what became of him, I already know. My friend, who was very close to Monty, tried Peter out to see if he was broke and he was horribly unsound with a rider. He may have been laminitic, I don’t know for sure. All of the people there liked him, even Monty. Monty was going to use him as a riding horse if he had been sound. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. But they continued to care for Peter there, as far as I know, until he was no longer comfortable. I know he had been there a few months, which was unusual for any horses there at the time. I just had to ask because I think of poor Peter often.
I notice you say your horses are the only ones to have escaped Bravo alive, and I just want to point out that this is actually not the case. I know of at least three or four horses that were there and were not slaughtered. I was told there was an elderly brindle horse delivered to the lot that Monty kept as pet and cared for until it died of natural causes. I might be mistaken, but I think he may have even taken he brindle horse to another farm where he kept his personal horses. There were at least two minis he gave to friends (or family, I am uncertain) and he allowed a friend of mine to board his horse there when there was nowhere else to put him. (The friend’s horse lived there for at least a month that I know of, it was a red roan QH.) I think there may have been another pony saved as well, and that was only in the period of about a month that I had visited. So there certainly were others that escaped their fates.
Okay American friends, what am I missing. The US law prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption – meaning that they can slaughter away for exotic animals/zoos… Unless I’m reading the act wrong, there is nothing preventing someone from slaughtering horses for use as feed – same line as bison, deer etc. So, while their practices were wholly unacceptable and cruel and should be prosecuted on that basis, you cannot call it an illegal slaughterhouse because it’s not…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not, in any way a supporter of horse slaughter, but I would think that law was drafted as it was to allow for this ‘niche’ market to continue… otherwise why not just ban horse slaughter in totality?
FYI – Amanda made a typo when she was talking about ‘Rob Roy’ in the meat locker. ‘Bob Marley’ has been adopted to a wonderful home and he was not one of the ‘Bravo Nine.’ I used to call ‘Rob Roy’ ‘Rain Rot Boy’ because he had the worst case of rain rot I have ever seen in my life. I still grieve for him because I wanted him out of there desperately.
absence – regarding the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958 – it covers all members of the genus Equidae and there is no method of slaughter that can ever comply with the statute. That being said, zoos do not get a pass. Although it is illegal there have been bills in the United States Congress since the 107th and all have failed to pass despite the public sentiment against the slaughter of horses and their cousins. It is redundant legislation and a huge waste of time. They should just enforce the existing legislation.
Thanks,
Elle
Locals in Salem County read about this at http://www.pennjersey.info/forums/cumberland-salem-county-forums/10831-bravo-packing-carneys-point-animal-cruelty.html post on there or http://salemcountyforums.info so they know about your outrage.
Also if you post a link back to here or the youtube at http://www.nj.com/forums/salem/ you will get quick replies how the owner is going to sue you if it hurts their business.
Dang, Amanda! That took some guts. Weren’t your parents worried about your safety? Hope this is resolved quickly and prison sentences are handed out to the rest of Bravo’s guilty employees.
I’ve submitted all related online links on this as a News Story for investigation to CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, TIME, NYT, US NEWS, NewsWeek, etc… Title: “Illegal Horse Slaughter in NJ” Major media attention and exposure should get NJ State and Federal Gov officials to act. I suggest everyone send the media with similar requests. Not only Bravo, but on the slaughter in the horse racing industry as well. Just send them Web and YouTube links. I saw the HBO video Amanda and her Dad did. Most people have no idea this stuff goes on, and that’s why it goes on.
Together we can put an end to Animal Credulity and Torture. Child abuse is no longer tolerated. I see no difference as for many of us, our pets are our kids. They deserve the SAME protection. We have Child Protective Services (CPS) We need Animal Protective Services (APS). We just have to demand it. Making the general public aware and Animal Abuse “unacceptable” is the only way. The “Change and Transparency” I want want to see from this administration is putting an end to Animal Abuse, Government assistance is spay and neutering programs etc..
Barbarism has no place in a civilized society. Boycott the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Thoroughbred Racing all together if these horses are going to end up tortured in the end while people dress up and drink champagne. It’s no different then the crap they did in Rome in 264 BC. It’s 2010. Time for change!
“A true civilized society sweeps nothing under the carpet”
-John Hardin
I think that an issue should be brought up here that hasn’t been added yet. (or at least i don’t think I missed it in the comments).
We have all these hunters hunting year round in the state of New Jersey because there is an over abundance of deer among other very ambundant hunted animals (according to those who make these hunting rules and laws). Why in the world should these zoos and exotic animal owners use horsemeat, which is a risky venture to the health of their animals, when they could pay, probably cheaper for the deer meat. Or, if the big cats need to hunt their own food, let the owners raise their own deer for meat. I think it would be cheaper than horse meat. Probably safer, too.
The animal sanctuary I know of in Upstate NY does not use horse meat for their big cats, too expensive. Instead, it allows professional hunters to hunt on some of the land in exchange for deermeat. Also pheasant, quail, etc.
Win-win situation.
By the way, I believe that Merola went to a place where horses ruled and now probably has his head kicked in on a daily basis, but that’s just my belief!