Live horses shipped to Japan for meat, dying and suffering on flights, report alleges

Horses flown live from Canada to Japan for slaughter to produce an expensive sashimi delicacy are suffering from injuries and dying on planes more than previously reported to Canadians and their MPs, a Canadian animal-law organization is alleging based on Japanese records.A Japanese animal-welfare organization, Life Investigation Agency, has obtained official government reports of shipments of horses from Canada, including pregnant mares, in crates. The records, acquired through Japan’s freedom of information laws, show that pregnant mares have miscarried and died. Some horses, transported together in wooden crates, had difficulty standing and fell during flight. Horses also suffered injuries such as a fractured leg – with some dying on board and in quarantine.