PETA Statement re Death of 27th Horse at Santa Anita

For Immediate Release:
June 6, 2019

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Arcadia, Calif. – Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo about Derby River, the 27th horse to die at the Santa Anita race track since December:

In March, Derby River was sold at auction in Florida, and PETA will be investigating the circumstances. PETA has exposed that very young horses are often whipped into running faster than they will ever again run at these auctions—risking their lives and often ruining their health. Derby River’s death today at only 2 years old is yet another reason why people want to see an end to racing, but the least that must be done right now is for tracks to put scanning equipment in place to detect pre-existing leg and shoulder injuries and for measures to be taken to ensure that young horses aren’t seriously injured before their bones are even mature.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist view of the world.

For Media: Contact PETA's
Media Response Team.

Contact

Get PETA Updates

Stay up to date on the latest vegan trends and get breaking animal rights news delivered straight to your inbox!

By submitting this form, you’re acknowledging that you have read and agree to our privacy policy and agree to receive e-mails from us.

 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind