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BILL TO ALLOW GAMBLING ON RACING
IS SET TO ENTER KNESSET
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YOUR HELP IS URGENTLY NEEDED
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The bill that will legalize gambling on horse racing in
Israel is about to be introduced in the Knesset. It is
urgent
that we
have strong lobbying and media efforts to educate Knesset members and the
public about the cruelties inherent in the racing industry in
order to block passage of this bill.
Cruelty to horses is already a very significant problem in Israel,
and there is no infrastructure to deal with it. Municipal vets admit they
don't take abused horses away from their abusers because they have no place
to put them. Multiply this problem by thousands — the plan calls for
importing 2,000 horses for racing in the first year.
Lobbying and public relations are expensive. Please read about what is
at stake, and please give generously to CHAI's campaign to prevent this
industry from becoming established in Israel.
The racing industry presents an image of glamour, but in reality, it is
filled with cruelty, corruption, and death.
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Glamour:
Barbaro winning the Kentucky Derby. In his next race
his leg was shattered, and he was euthanized at three years old.
(Photo: MSNBC) |
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Death: Two-year-old Pine Island breaks her leg on the track and is destroyed, just one of thousands who die in training or on
the track every year.
(Photo: Louisville Courier-Journal,
Kentucky) |
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This year in England, a racehorse died nearly every other day on the
track. An average of 375 horses are raced to death every year in
that country alone. One-third die on racecourses, while the others
are destroyed as a result of training injuries, or are killed
because they are no longer fast enough to earn money. In all countries,
most racehorses suffer from bleeding in the lungs, which can be
fatal, and chronic stomach ulcers. Some have heart attacks from the
unnatural exertion.
(Photo: Animal Aid) |
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Corruption: This cruel industry is filled with corruption
in every country where it exists. Widespread drugging of horses
to enhance performance or dull pain so they can race even while
injured was the subject of a New York Times front page
article. Insurance fraud — killing slow horses to collect
insurance money — has been repeatedly exposed in the U.S. media.
In one case, for example, a horse's legs were tied to a truck and broken as
the truck drove away. |
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A downward spiral of
abuse |
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A former racehorse and
her foal
in England (Photo: Animal Aid) |
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A horse collapses on the street in
Israel.
These episodes will become increasingly
common.
(Photo: Ha'aretz) |
The end of the line: Every
year, the same number of horses leave racing as enter it. Like all countries where there is racing,
Israel will either have to go into the
horse slaughter business or
into the cruel live-export trade, transporting horses abroad to end up on dinner
plates.
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Horse slaughterhouse in England:
Inevitable consequence of racing
(Photo: Animal Aid) |
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Live export: American horses on their brutal journey to death (Photo: HSUS) |
If this industry is so ruthless,
why would it now be allowed to enter Israel, a country where racing never
existed before except on a tiny scale? Because now money is at stake:
gambling, on which the racing industry depends, generates huge sums of
money. It also generates social welfare problems, including crime and the
breakup of families.
The Chief Rabbi of Israel has issued a ruling stating that the racing industry violates Jewish law, which prohibits
gambling and cruelty to animals.
We have amassed a great deal of factual information about racing, all of
which is available on our website.
Experts from around the world have
offered their testimony, confirming the inherent cruelty of horseracing. See
our
Horse Racing Q and A page for answers to some frequently asked questions.
CHAI has fought against bringing racing into Israel for nearly three years.
The campaign has been extremely expensive, and most people have assumed the
horses can't possibly win against such powerful money interests.
PLEASE help us show that compassion can be stronger than greed. This is
our only chance to stop this grotesque industry from entering
Israel.
Please send your tax-deductible donations to:
CHAI, POB 3341, Alexandria, VA 22302, USA, or
donate through our
website.
Yours for a more compassionate world,
Nina Natelson
CHAI - Concern for Helping Animals in Israel
PO Box 3341, Alexandria, VA 22302
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