Horse Owners Refuse Veterinary Examinations Offered as a Result of High Court Order, Fearing Exposure of the Appalling Condition of Animals
For Immediate Release:
22 April 2022
Contact:
Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]
Monica Chopra; [email protected]
Kolkata – Horse and carriage owners refused to participate in a three-day veterinary health camp from 19 to 21 April, organised by the Animal Resources Development Department of the Government of West Bengal in association with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and CAPE Foundation. Such resistance is a part of continuing pattern of reluctance on the part of horse carriage owners, presumably fearing that a detailed expert veterinary examination would again expose the deplorable conditions of the animals. The health camp was organised following an order issued by the Calcutta High Court on 5 April 2022 in response to a petition filed by PETA India and CAPE Foundation seeking the prohibition of the cruel and illegal use of horses for rides and to haul tourist carriages near Victoria Memorial. The court had considered two assessment reports submitted by the petitioners, which provided evidence of the suffering endured by the horses, such as severe injuries, malnourishment, and foot diseases. By not participating in the veterinary health camp, the horse owners continue to deny the horses even the most basic and essential care and act in a manner that disregards to the government and court orders.
Photos of the veterinary health camp are available upon request.
“Horses used for tourist rides in Kolkata are denied basic veterinary care, and most of them suffer and die from untreated injuries and diseases,” says PETA India Advocacy Officer Samit Roy. “PETA India is calling on the city’s horse and carriage owners to choose the successful livelihood alternatives adopted by their counterparts in Delhi and Mumbai, such as e-carriages and e-rickshaws.”
PETA India notes that as per The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, it is the duty of the owner of any animal to take measures to ensure the well-being of the animal and it is a punishable offence to deny the animal veterinary care. Using injured and malnourished horses for carriage rides also violates the PCA Act, 1960. To protect public health, through an order dated 22 January 2013, the Calcutta High Court had directed that “measures be taken by the owners of each hackney carriage for removing dung excreted by the horses”. However, this direction was never implemented by the horse owners.
PETA India’s efforts to shut down Kolkata’s cruel horse-drawn carriage industry include working to establish a sanctuary for the rehabilitation of injured or malnourished horses, working with Kolkata police to register first information reports (FIRs) against horse owners for forcing debilitated, injured, or lame animals to work, and submitting its recommendations to the West Bengal government for a policy to end the use of horses for tourist rides. Following complaints by PETA India and CAPE Foundation, three FIRs have been registered against horse owners.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
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