Victory: Illegal Horse-Bullock Cart Race Stopped in Mumbai Following PETA India’s Complaint

Learning that an illegal horse-and-bullock cart race was scheduled to take place on 03 March at 06 a.m. at Gorai Beach, PETA India took urgent action to stop it from happening. PETA India immediately alerted senior Mumbai police officials and, as a result of police action, the race was cancelled.

Disgraceful horse and bull cart races inflict enormous suffering on animals. Participants often force animals to run faster than normal by striking them and using weapons, causing physical injuries and psychological trauma.  When a horse and bullock are yoked together, the strain on the horse is overwhelming as they are uneven and unmatched in height, and a horse cannot take a yoke. These animals already face significant hardships when made to work, forcing them to endure being beaten and to run beyond the point of exhaustion is despicable and illegal.

In its complaint letter, PETA India highlighted that under the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001, animals cannot legally be used for training, exhibition, or performances without prior approval of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). Events such as these animal races contravene the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, and potentially breach the Transport of Animals (Amendment) Rules, 2001. Additionally, using a horse and a bull to pull a single cart is anatomically inappropriate and violates the Draught and Pack Animals Rules, 1965, notified under the PCA Act. In addition, PETA India referred to a 2015 High Court of Bombay judgment that held the use of horses for carriage rides and Victorias as illegal. Also, it ruled that none of the stables for horses used for rides and other purposes in Mumbai possessed a licence under Section 394 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, and thereby directed the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai to shut down all the illegal stables. The group also highlighted the 2016 Rajasthan High Court order that banned tonga races in the state following a study report submitted by the AWBI. The report highlighted that cruelty to horses is inherent when they’re forced to run on roads amid traffic conditions that are frightening and distressing for them.