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Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages Once and for All!
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CARRIAGE DRIVERS DEFY THE LAW
Working During Brutal Winter Storm |
On the evening of September 14, Juliet, a horse used in New York City's carriage trade, collapsed in Central Park. The carriage driver repeatedly whipped her in order to make her stand. Allegedly, a veterinarian whom the driver had called urged him to continue whipping the ailing horse. An angry crowd of witnesses managed to temporarily stop the beating, but it resumed after the veterinarian and mounted police arrived on the scene. After plodding through New York City's congested streets for two decades to pull carriages full of wide-eyed tourists, Juliet died in her stall early the next morning.
Juliet's death marks the second tragic death of a carriage horse in New York City this year. Another horse died in January following a collision; three people have also been seriously injured in collisions this year. Reports that overloaded and overworked animals are forced to endure extreme temperatures and are deprived of adequate veterinary care are the rule rather than the exception. In addition, the public safety hazards of operating a carriage company on the bustling streets of a major city cannot be ignored.
Numerous cities have realized that the time has come to retire this antiquated industry. Biloxi, Mississippi; Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada; Palm Beach, Panama City, Key West, Deerfield Beach, and Pompano Beach, Florida; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Camden, New Jersey, have all banned horse-drawn carriage operations, as have London, Paris, and Toronto.
Please contact New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the link below and urge him to relegate New York City's cruel and disgraceful carriage-horse industry to the history books.
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