Horses found to be extremely weak with several injuries from pulling carriages.
Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) along with actor Jacqueline Fernandez met mayor Sunil Prabhu and put forward a report on the ill treatment of horses forced to draw carriages.
They have been working towards a complete ban on carriage horses and they requested the mayor to check on the numerous illegal horse stables in the city.
The PETA team visited around 18 stables in the city, of which, only one is licensed. “The horses in these stables were extremely unhealthy. These stables should be made to get a licence so that a regular check can be kept on their standards. I’ve ridden horses since childhood and I felt bad seeing their condition,” said Fernandez.
They shared shocking photos from a recent investigation by a committee formed to investigate the stables that house carriage horses. According to PETA, which was part of the committee, most of these horses were injured, sick and severely malnourished. There were photographs of thin horses with joint injuries forced to stand in their own faeces.
“They sustained injuries because they are made to walk on pavements. These horses will never recover from these injuries. Sure these carriages are an attraction but you can’t let the horses suffer to give you that little enjoyment. The least we can do is get these stables legalised so that they do not get a chance to ill treat them that much,” said Dr Manilal Valliyate, veterinary head of PETA.
The mayor assured the team he would look into the matter. “I can’t say anything about banning the horse carriages now but I have seen these pictures and will consider their request of the stable licensing after consulting legal advisers and the municipal heads,” said Prabhu.
The court hearing for the ban on horse-drawn carriages will be heard on December 13.
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