Recent Books

Grandin, Temple (2000). Livestock Handling and Transport. UK: CABI Publishing.

For economic and animal welfare reasons, Temple Grandin started investigating the livestock handling and transport for animals that were intended for slaughter. This edition came out in 2000 and her original was published in 1993. She uses animal physiology to make her points and covers the many aspects involved, including handling for veterinary and husbandry procedures, restraint methods, transport systems and design of facilities on farms and at slaughter plants. Grandin is well known because of her use of autism with her animal sciences, she is able to understand how animals think. Readers will be more knowledgeable about the process and why we need to reduce the stress of animals that are intended for slaughter before the actual slaughter.

Grandin, Temple & Johnson, Catherine (2005). Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Temple Grandin uses her autism in a productive way to fight for animal rights, by using her animal scientist training and hypersentivity from autism together. Being autistic, she believes she can narrow the gap between animal and human communication. Grandin states that animals are much smarter than anyone ever imagined and investigates their pain, fear, aggression, love, friendship, communication, and learning. This book makes the viewers understand that animals do have feelings and need to be treated humanely with respect and care. It can also help the viewer or researcher understand the need for strict handling regulations when people deal with the animals for slaughter.

Heller, Bill (2005, April). After the Finish Line: The Race to End Horse Slaughter in America. California: BowTie Press.

Most race horses that win are seen as famous and like famous movie stars or sport stars, they will go on to retire and live a fulfilling, relaxed life. This book shows quite the opposite. Many famous racehorses that won prestigious awards and races were sent to slaughter. The horse Exceller, who was the Horse of the Year in 1977, was sent to Sweden for human consumption. The public was appalled, but again the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, Ferdinand, was slaughtered in Japan. This book points out more incidents like these and exposes the cruel reality of the horse industry, especially the race industry and horse slaughter. Heller shows different points of views on these subjects, from the anti-slaughter ban and the organizations that fought for it to the actual sports and slaughterhouses. This book gives the reader a good perspective of what was happening to the horses, even the ones that were successful, and how many people ignored or forgot until something similar happened again.

Waran, Natalie (2002, January). Welfare of Horses. New York: Springer-Verlag.

The welfare of the horses is the main topic in the book and is discussed in different ways according to how the horses are used, where they are located, and the horse behavior. Different factors are considered in this book because horses are used so differently around the world. An example of this is in the western world, many use horses as companions and for sport, while in the east, horses are used for work, like farming. Waran uses scientists from all over the world and analyzes horse behavior due to being kept in an unnatural habitat. This book provides a lot of information on how we should treat horses and why. It shows a more personal look at horses and how they are not just livestock to many people around the world.

Wise, J.R. (2007, January). Give a Horse a Second Chance: Adopting and Caring for Rescue Horses. Connecticut: The Lyons Press.

This book provides an alternative to slaughtering, by rescuing an unwanted horse and rehabilitating it. It gives basic information on how to care for horses, along with ones who have health and safety issues. J.R. Wright encourages responsible horse ownership, with certain measures, like having veterinary assistance. This book gives basic information on adoption, how to care for a newly adopted horse, and how to overcome the obstacles that come with it.