New Delhi: The collapse of a horse named ‘Ryder’ during peak rush hour traffic in Manhattan, US, earlier this week has intensified calls by animal rights activists to fast-track a US legislation that will phase out horse drawn carriages for tourists in New York City.
Videos of the horse collapsing while pulling a carriage on the busy Manhattan road and his driver repeatedly striking him to “get up” went viral this week. The incident reportedly took place on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) tweeted saying, “Horses don’t belong in big cities where they’re put in constant danger because of cars, humans, weather, and more.”
BREAKING: This horse COLLAPSED while pulling a carriage in NYC, likely from heat exhaustion, and has been down for over an hour.
Horses don’t belong in big cities where they’re put in constant danger because of cars, humans, weather, and more. pic.twitter.com/vXBVRJRjPB
— PETA (@peta) August 10, 2022
PETA also said, “How many more horses have to collapse for NYC Council to ban this cruel & exploitative practice against horses?”
Officials of the New York Police Department later came to the horse’s rescue, after which the animal could stand up and was sent for treatment.
A horse pushing a carriage collapsed in Midtown Manhattan due to the heat, NYPD officers and other city workers helped the horse with water. This is the moment the horse was able to get back on its feet
( Repost) #heatwave #NYC #NYPD pic.twitter.com/TJmpC6XoDA— Viral News NY (@ViralNewsNYC) August 10, 2022
Christina Hansen, a carriage driver who works at the stable where Ryder spent the night following the incident, told The New York Post that the horse was later diagnosed with a neurological disease named Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis.
Bill to replace horse-drawn carriages
A bill was introduced by US Councilman Robert Holden last month that calls for horse-drawn carriages to be replaced with electric ones by 1 June, 2024.
While saying that drivers and horses deserve better, Holden had said that the bill will save “poor horses” from suffering or dying on the streets.
He also tweeted saying, “NYC is better than this. My bill would prevent poor horses, like this latest one today, from suffering or dying on our streets, replacing them with clean, electric carriages like this one. Drivers would be able to work year round and earn more. Drivers and horses deserve better.”
The legislation would also give horse drivers the preference to opt for licenses to operate electric carriages.
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Source: The Print
