Trapping Practices, Horse Slaughter

Your Oct. 16 editorial in opposition to Props. 4 and 6 came as no surprise, considering The Times’ poor record of support for animal protection issues. Both measures will save the lives of more than 27,000 animals in California every year. The initiative process allows “laypersons” to voice their concern for animals over a Legislature controlled by powerful self-interest groups who make money off of the needless suffering and death of animals.

BILL DYER

Venice

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It is an era where society seems to be increasingly more self-absorbed, aggressive and violent. Parents try to teach their children to treat others ethically and respectfully, as they themselves would want to be treated. What message do we send them when we tolerate a barbaric relic from our past, the steel-jaw trap?

Animals caught in these cruel devices suffer significant physical and emotional agony, mostly in the name of fashion. And for every “target” animal caught, 10 so-called “trash” animals have already been killed and thrown away. We now have the opportunity to further move forward and treat with compassion fellow creatures. I hope we have evolved enough to end this centuries-old cruel legacy and vote yes on 4.

JEFF HANSEN

Yorba Linda

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The purpose of prohibiting the slaughter of horses for food is not to deny someone the privilege of eating them, but rather to prevent the suffering of those being eaten. And this is an important issue for California: While we thankfully do not have any horse slaughterhouses, we do have the largest equine population of any state in the nation.

Many of the horses used for food are stolen and inhumanely transported to out-of-state meat packers, to be sold to diners in foreign countries. Americans will not knowingly eat them. If dogs or cats were being stolen from their owners’ backyards to be shipped under deplorable conditions to countries where they are considered delicacies, we would waste no time putting a stop to it. Horses have earned the same concern, and Prop. 6 is a statement of California’s will to protect them.

DENES ZSOLNAY

Rolling Hills Estates