Kolkata, (Samajweekly) Over 150 veterinarians have appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to stop the use of horse-drawn carriages in Kolkata, considering the animals’ poor health and deteriorating condition.
Incidentally, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has been appealing for the carriages to be replaced with motorised e-carriages and has offered to assist in the horses’ rehabilitation. In Mumbai, horse-drawn carriages have been replaced with sleek vintage-style, non-animal vehicles.
According to these veterinarians, Kolkata’s horses are forced to haul heavy loads of people on hard roads – conditions which lead to irreparable and irreversible leg and hoof problems and lameness.
On this matter, they have quoted three in-depth studies by PETA India and the CAPE Foundation which documented that more than 100 horses used for tourist rides in Kolkata are anaemic, malnourished, and chronically starved; that some have been found suffering from severe injuries, including bone fractures; and that many are forced to live amid their own waste on filthy, decrepit, and illegally occupied premises in the city.
According to PETA India Veterinary Policy Advisor Dr Nithin Krishnegowda, these veterinarians care about animals and know what’s best for them.
