PETITION TARGET: California Governor Gavin Newsom
UPDATE: On December 19, 2019, the district Attorney for Los Angeles County announced that no criminal wrongdoing was found in the deaths at the Santa Anita Racetrack, following an examination by a task force. The task force proposed several measures they recommend the racetrack to take up to promote greater safety and transparency.
We strongly believe that regulation will not save these horses’ lives, and Lady Freethinker will keep pushing to shut down this cruel racetrack for good.
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Horses at Santa Anita Park racetrack in California are dying at alarming rates. The problem has been going on all year (and even earlier), yet authorities have failed to take meaningful action to save these animals’ lives.
These horses are being worked to death, forced to race with fractures and broken bones. One even suffered a heart attack.
One recent victim was a 3-year-old colt named Emtech, who was tragically euthanized after breaking both of his front legs from a painful crashing during a race. With this devastating accident happening on just the second day of the new season, it offers a grim prospect for horses forced to race at Santa Anita in coming months.
This isn’t the first time a suspicious number of horses died in a short amount of time at Santa Anita Park. Last year, ten horses died over a period of just ten weeks.
Rather than do the morally responsible thing and close the park, the track has continued racing activities, even as horses keep dying. Despite the park recently implementing so-called safety measures to prevent more fatalities, Emtech’s death is yet another reminder that until this race track is shut down, horses will continue to suffer painful injuries and die.
It’s time to shut down this track of horrors for good.
Sign this petition urging the governor to do everything in his power to put the facility out of business, and place the lives of these innocent horses before profit.
