Don’t take horses for a ride
If a joyride on a Victoria around the Gateway of India is your idea of fun, then bad news is in store for you as PeTA is leaving no stone unturned to get the horse-drawn carts off the city’s streets, says Preeti Gupta
If a joyride on a Victoria around the Gateway of India is your idea of fun, then bad news is in store for you as PeTA is leaving no stone unturned to get the horse-drawn carts off the city’s streets, says Preeti Gupta
The tongas, better known as Victorias, loitering around the Gateway of India is a pretty sight and have become a part of the urban landscape of the city. However, it is definitely not a pretty thing for the horses drawing the carriage – the illtreatment and cruelty inflicted on them, and the overloading of the carts. In order to put a check on the brutality imposed on the horses, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is trying to bring about a ban on horses used for pulling carts and Victorias.
Anuradha Sawhney, chief functionary, PETA, explains, “Horses that are used for pulling carts and carrying loads are beaten so that they work past their point of exhaustion. And in the absence of adequate rest, food, water and veterinary care, these horses are hard-pressed to live in a wretched state and endure the brutality.”
Currently, about 250 horses are used for profit and amusement activities such as weddings, joyrides, religious functions, political processions and illegal races. To the astonishment of many, most of these horses do not have proper stables to stay in and are fed substandard food and water, which takes a toll on their health. “Several of these horses are housed in unhygienic places and are not provided with shade or any sort of protection from the rain and the sun. Due to the improper drainage system, these stables are infested with flies and other insects, which pose a health hazard not only to the animals but also to the humans living in and around the stables,” shares Dharmesh Solanki, campaign coordinator, PETA, who believes that most of the tongas that ply on the city’s roads do not even hold a valid license to use horses.
Dadar-based animal activist Renata Tarapour, who has been a part of the horse ban campaign for the past two years, concurs with Solanki, “A few months ago I had visited the so-called stables located at Wadala Market and I was flabbergasted to see the unhygienic state of the shelter. Moreover, using horses for joyrides itself is against the declaration of the animal rights, which prohibits the use of animals for amusement purposes.”
Apparently, a lot of these horses suffer from respiratory problems due to wrong feeding methods. Some of the horses are fed via a gunnysack tied to their faces, preventing them from breathing well. Furthermore, these horses get sores and injuries because of the iron rod put in their mouth, the horse shoes fixed by untrained people, low-quality saddles that do not fit properly, etc. To cease the cruelty on the horses in the city, PETA has given a requisition to the city traffic department to ban horse-drawn carriages.
Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Sanjay Barve, after repeated attempts to get his take on the subject, says that he needs to look into the matter and refused to comment on anything related to the horse ban issue offhand.
“Given the cruelty meted out to horses, the inability to adequately provide for the needs of the horses in the city and the proven danger to both animals and humans, there should be a ban on Victorias, tongas and the use of horses for joyrides on the streets, beaches and parks,” concludes Sawhney.