Sex Hijinks Down on the Farm
by Maggie Van Ostrand
"Enumclaw-area animal-sex case investigated" teased the heading of a Seattle Times article about a man who died while having sex with a horse. "The sheriff's department didn't expect us to report it because it was too gruesome," said Jennifer Sullivan, the Seattle Times' staff reporter. Just the same, she did manage to get two articles written on the subject.
Sullivan's article said that the man, who died of internal bleeding from anal sex with a horse, died after visiting a farm in Enumclaw, Washington (about 45 miles southeast of Seattle), that attracted "a significant number of people" looking to engage in sex with livestock, said Sheriff's Sergeant John Urquhart.
Sullivan wrote that the Enumclaw farm was discussed in internet chat rooms as a destination spot for people looking to have sex with animals. She reported that this prompted an investigation into whether the chickens, goats and sheep on the property had also been victimized.
"We tried to make it as tasteful as possible keeping out the cause of death. As a surprise, I had at least 70 emails from people and the vast majority wanted to know what killed this guy," she told Editor and Publisher magazine. "So on the second day we had to be more specific."
Not specific enough, however, to give the man's name, but to at least report that he was 45 years old, and died of acute peritonitis due to perforation of the colon. Owwww.
Bestiality is not outlawed in the American west coast state of Washington, nor is it outlawed in 17 other states.
The horse was not injured.
Because having sex with a horse is not a crime in Washington, the death will not be investigated, even though a surveillance camera picked up the license plate of the car that dropped the man off at the hospital. That's what lead the cops to the farm.
When police searched the farm, they found a lot of videotape showing men having sex with horses. They are still trying to find out if sex was forced on smaller farm animals, because animal cruelty is a crime in Washington.
Washington state laws are apparently tilted in favor of no sex with a chicken.
The official Enumclaw website, www.ci.enumclaw.wa.us says that "Enumclaw has retained its small town character while benefiting from the growth of the surrounding region." Who's the mayor? Seabiscuit?
"People were very, very willing to talk but they almost thought of it as a joke. It was sort of surreal for a lot of people," said Sullivan. I'll bet it was even worse for the horse.
Some good came out of this, however, A local senator is drawing up a bill that would outlaw bestiality, and a local animal activist is calling for reform. The Humane Society of the United States intends to use the case during the next state legislative session as an example of why sex with animals should be outlawed in Washington, said Bob Reder, a Humane Society regional director in Seattle.
What about trout? Or carp? They sometimes live on farms. Shouldn't the Humane Society stick up for fish as well? Otherwise, it's discrimination.
The Seattle Times has not reported whether the man or the horse was on top.
Catherine the Great, accused of the same sexual propensity, could not be reached for comment.
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