Mumbai: Custodians of two ailing horses booked for cruelty

Following a complaint by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the Cuffe Parade police helped rescue two malnourished horses and registered a case against their custodians on Tuesday.

The horses that allegedly seem to have been used for joyrides were tied up without shade, food, or water at Nariman Point opposite Tulsiani Chambers. The cops seized the horses, who were so emaciated that their ribs were jutting out. They also had multiple wounds. One of them had an infected wound on its wither and left knee.

"We have registered an FIR under sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, and the horses have been sent to the BMC cattle pound at Malad for care," said a police official.

Meet Ashar, PETA India Emergency Response Coordinator, said that keeping horses in the city is illegal and using them for joyrides is cruel. "Yet injured horses are forced to live in filthy unlicensed stables and are not provided with basic needs."