I don’t like the idea of horse-drawn carriages: Shibani Dandekar

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/I-dont-like-the-idea-of-horse-drawn-carriages-Shibani-Dandekar/articleshow/17018791.cms 

Animal activists in India, who have been fighting to get Victoria carriages off the roads in the city, have found support abroad. Over 100 Italian animal lovers protested outside the Indian embassy in Rome, to press for a total ban on horse-drawn carriages. 

Sometime back, the Bombay High Court had accepted a PIL on the issue of banning horses that draw Victoria carriages. Recently, one such horse was left injured opposite a SoBo theatre, thanks to its reckless handler. While these carriages have been a part of the city's history, is it time to bid them adieu to spare the horses from cruelty, and to reduce traffic risks posed by them? And what happens to the people who make a living by operating these rides? Is there a viable solution that would be acceptable to both animal lovers and horse-owners? These are just some of the questions we posed to people, who feel strongly about this issue and this is what they had to say.

Shibani Dandekar, Television host

I don't think these carriages should be allowed at all. Not for any other reason than animal cruelty. There are other options that they can explore. I don't like the idea of horse-drawn carriages and dancing monkeys on our streets. Let the animals be. There should be rules and regulations for anyone driving any sort of vehicle in the city, to avoid accidents where animals are injured or killed.

Rahul da Cunha, Theatre Personality

Cruelty towards any animal is a crime against all animals — not just horses pulling tongas. What about a ban on bullock carts and bullocks pulling ploughs?

Vijender Singh, boxer

While Victorias have historical significance, I think it is inhuman to treat animals like that. I saw the plight of the horses during one of my recent visits to Mumbai and it was heart-rending. They are overworked and not kept healthy and clean. I don't know how tourists even feel like taking rides in these carriages. A solution could be to allocate an enclosed area for these rides, where no other vehicles are permitted. A union or governing body should also be appointed to ensure that the animals are taken care of.

Why horses and cars don't mix 

Back in July, actress Zeenat Aman had written to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, calling for a total ban on horse-drawn carriages within the city. Zeenat told TOI, "As humans, we can express ourselves, but animals can't do that. Hence, it's very important that someone steps forward to speak for them. Most of these horses are treated very badly — they have injuries, but are made to work despite that. If you are going to put the animals to work, you should ensure that they are well taken care of, that their needs are met and they are not exploited. This goes for any animal, be it elephants on the roads or any other animal who is neglected and abandoned."

Injured Victoria horse rescued from Colaba

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-23/mumbai/34679523_1_pfa-rachel-koyama-ambika-hiranandani

MUMBAI: People For Animals (PFA) activists rescued a young horse that was visibly in pain and limping while pulling a Victoria at Colaba on Sunday night. They sent it to an animal hospital in Parel.

"Though a young horse, it's foot was swollen near the joint. It had turned red due to over-exploitation by its handlers. It was in so much pain, it would kick up the moment anybody touched its leg. And yet, it was cruelly being made to work on the streets. We have lodged a complaint against it's owner at the Colaba police station," said PFA trustee Poonam Mahajan.

She said PFA had received multiple calls from concerned citizens who had noticed the limping horse and another one at the Gateway of India. The horse's hawk and fetlock joints were swollen and the entire leg red from the immense pressure the animal was in.

The horse's condition was akin to a human with a swollen ankle and knee being made to pull a heavy Victoria. "A designated vet approves licence for these horses. One wonders what conditions the vets take into account if they freely give licences to lame horses," said PFA activist Ambika Hiranandani.

"The doctors say the horse's joints are swollen and accumulated fluid has solidified, which is why the animal is in pain. I requested the handler, Mohammed, to send the animal to hospital as an X-ray was urgently needed. He refused and, as usual, dozens of them surrounded me and started yelling. They kept touching the horse's leg. The horse kept trying to kick them as it was in great pain," said Rachel Koyama, who heads PFA's field operations. Exasperated, she then called Colaba police who instantly came to the animal's rescue.

"Even tourists are shocked at the animals' plight. Italian animal welfare organizations are holding a protest outside the Indian Embassy in Rome on October 25. This is organised by Animal lover Helen Dufton, an India enthusiast. Animal lovers are even taking a wow not to return to Mumbai until the Victorias are banned," said Mahajan.

Carriage-Horse Cruelty in Mumbai, Judge Orders Reports on Conditions

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/animal-rights/carriage-horse-cruelty-mumbai-judge-orders-reports-conditions

 

By Phyllis M Daugherty, Wed, August 08, 2012

 

 

 

Sick, injured, overworked and malnourished horses are being forced to drag overcrowded carriages (called “Victorias”) through dense and dangerous traffic in Mumbai, India, claim animal-rights activists in public-interest litigation recently submitted to the high court in Bombay.

There have been numerous accidents recorded in this congested city in which both horses and humans have been seriously injured or even killed. Recently, a horse carriage skidded at Gateway of India in Mumbai and seriously injured two passengers. In September last year, another horse pulling a carriage collapsed in the street from exhaustion, according to reports.

After review of the evidence contained in the petition, a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Nitin Jamdar ordered that any unfit horses should be reported to the BMC’s executive health officer and should not be allowed to be returned to the carriage until their owners get a fitness certificate, according to IndiaTimes.com. (The BMC is the Brihan Mumbai Corporation--a major civic corporation in India, which manages the civic requirements of Mumbai.)

Adding strength to the ongoing PIL filed by the Animals and Birds Charitable Trust, an intervention application by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India was accepted by the Bombay High Court, IndiaTimes.com reported on July 7, 2012.  PETA  states that in recent years it has gathered substantial evidence of cruelty to horses used to pull Victoria horse carriages in Mumbai, as well as the traffic risks they pose to citizens.

According to the court order, the original petitioners, Animals and Birds Charitable Trust and the Animal Welfare Board, will have to identify any unfit and sick horses and provide that information to the BMC's executive health officer. The officer will then summon the owner to produce the horse to be examined by a veterinarian from the committee appointed by the BMC. Unless the horse gets a fitness certificate, it will be prohibited from Mumbai streets.

The court also directed the officer to submit a report about the action it has initiated in such cases after three weeks. Meanwhile, the state submitted a list of schemes that could be made available to owners and drivers of horses to rehabilitate them, IndiaTimes.com states.

Animal-protection advocates have been calling for a total ban on horses being used in Mumbai to pull carriages and are encouraged by this decision as at least a first step in providing more humane treatment for the animals. The horses are forced to live in filthy, damp stables amidst their own faces and urine and are often left to stand without any shade, which is a clear violation of law, state the activists who posted the video, Mumbai Horse Carriages Should be Banned (below)

There are approximately 170 horses in Mumbai harnessed to carriages ("Victorias") and around 100 owners and 107 drivers, states the petition filed by Animals and Birds Charitable Trust. Overwork, malnutrition, and lack of proper care are common problems, according to the campaigners.

A report submitted to the high court recently determined that, of the 371 horses examined by the BMC in the city and its suburbs, at least 196 needed treatment.

 The petitioners also claim that many horses show signs of tenderness in their feet due to maggot-riddled hooves. The skin of the horses had burn marks from the limestone used to cover saddle wounds, while their mouths showed injuries from the metal spike placed there to rein them in.. The conditions in stables were pitiable, with horses tethered next to garbage dumps, according to the report.

On June 14, representatives from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Plant & Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) met with civic chief R.K. Somawane, and asked authorities to issue motorized rickshaw licenses to carriage owners willing to switch. Somawane reportedly assured them that no new licenses to drive horse carriages will be issued once the existing carriage drivers move to motor rickshaws.

New York activists have voiced similar ongoing concerns about the horse-carriage trade in New York City and are waging an aggressive effort to ban horse-drawn carriages there. Donny Moss, activist and filmmaker, was awarded a 2009 Genesis award by The Humane Society of the U.S. for BLINDERS, his documentary on the horse-carriage industry in New York and the inhumane conditions under which the horses work and live. (www.blindersthemovie.com)  I asked for Donny's opinion on the situation in Mumbai.

 He stated, "Horses shouldn't be pulling carriages in the streets in any urban area, much less Mumbai, which is one of the most congested cities in the world. When horses spook and flee amidst cars and pedestrians, people and horses are invariably injured or killed."

"Even if all of the horses were deemed healthy by veterinarians, the use of horses to pull carriages in any congested urban area is unsafe and inhumane.  

"When animals are used solely to make money for their owners, abuse and neglect are rampant, as demonstrated by the fact that over half of the horses in Mumbai examined by the government needed treatment."

VIDEO FROM MUMBAI;  Mumbai Horse Carriage should be banned

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09LjtBQ-_ZM&feature=player_embedded 

Horse carriages face whip - Animal deaths provoke ban cry in Mumbai

Mumbai, July 9: The Victoria may soon need a memorial in Mumbai. The horrific deaths of two horses in full public view last week has suddenly raised a clamour for a ban on the art deco-style French carriages, introduced in the city by the British in 1882 as cabs. Silver-coloured and fitted with neon lights, the Victorias now ferry merrymakers and tourists along Marine Drive and around the old part of the city. Haggard, malnourished and ill-treated, the horses that pull these carriages meant for three mostly end up carrying six to nine persons, making 10-15 trips of a 5km to 7km stretch. Over the past year and a half, many of the overworked and underfed horses have collapsed and died on the streets but last week’s deaths were particularly tragic and witnessed by many. On Sunday July 1, a horse died when a taxi rammed into it outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly Victoria Terminus. The horse was not tied to a carriage at the time — the owner’s friend had borrowed it for a bareback ride around town. On Wednesday, a horse tugging a carriage loaded with nine passengers instead of the stipulated three collapsed and died of exhaustion outside the Gateway of India. Two days later, Bombay High Court accepted an intervention application by animal rights body Peta, which put its weight behind an ongoing public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on the horse-drawn carriages. The PIL, alleging cruelty towards the animals, was filed last September by the Mumbai-based Animals and Birds Charitable Trust (ABCT) and had so far been a cause limited to lunching ladies and committed animal lovers. Bolstered by support from Peta, which counts Hollywood and Bollywood stars among its friends, the ban-Victoria cry has even reached the state legislature. “The chief minister has been approached by many influential citizens to find a way to ban the Victorias. Many MLAs too are talking about the issue,” an aide to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said. “Apart from the cruelty issue, the matter also relates to finding alternative employment for the people involved in this business. We have to look into all things. The matter is sub judice; we’ll consider action only after the court gives its verdict.” In an interim order, the court has asked Maharashtra’s lawmakers to find alternative sources of employment for the men who handle the horses. There are 170 horses in Mumbai, including ponies. Of these, around 40 are used for rides on the beaches and gardens; the remaining 130 pull Victorias. “A study by the ABCT last year showed that the horses are made to stand all night with their legs tied. We have submitted the study to the high court,” trust counsel Aspi Chenoy said. Last year, the court had directed the civic body to send the horses to a 6.36-acre plot of open land provided by the trust at Panvel, about 40km from Mumbai, after the ABCT undertook to take care of the animals, and feed and transport them. The court directed the deputy commissioner of the civic health department and officials of the trust and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to work out the logistics for the shift. Both parties are still trying to figure out the logistics. Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte said that of the 10 horse stables in Mumbai, nine are illegal. “We last issued a licence for a stable in 1974. We keep issuing notices to horse owners who keep their animals in illegal stables. But under the Bombay Municipality Act, owners whose horses are seized for violations can redeem them after paying Rs 2,500,” he added. Last month, when Peta held a demonstration at Azad Maidan demanding a ban on horse-drawn carriages, nearly 5,000 people turned up in support. “The Municipal Corporation of Delhi made a landmark decision to ban tonga horses in the city in 2009 and recently scrapped a proposal to use ceremonial horse carriages for tourist rides. Mumbai needs to follow in the footsteps of Delhi, Paris, London, Toronto, Beijing and other cities and ban the use of horse-drawn carriages,” Chenoy said. Is Calcutta listening? http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120710/jsp/frontpage/story_15711334.jsp

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Stars, celebs back drive to save horses

MUMBAI: After citizens and animal activists initiated a signature campaign to ban the horse-drawn Victorias, film stars and celebrities have joined hands to save the animals.

Actors Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut, singer Anushka Manchanda, model Pia Trivedi and activist Maneka Gandhi have pledged support. TOI had reported how horses are kept in stables that are in pathetic conditions or at beaches, dump yards and slums.

"The Mumbai For Horses campaign is guided by Maneka Gandhi and our ambassadors are Pia Trivedi and actor Kitu Gidwani," said Mili Gandhi of Mumbai For Horses. Advocate and animal activist Ambika Hiranandani said the drive got a boost with celebrities' support.

"Once, we have the signatures, we will sit outside the CM's, mayor's, civic chief's and joint commissioner of traffic police's offices," said Vandana Kripalani of Mumbai For Horses.

Nilesh Bhanage of Plants and Animals Welfare Society said they are urging authorities in Kalyan and Dombivli to stop the exploitation. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India will hold a protest at Azad Maidan on June 16.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-15/mumbai/32253873_1_signature-campaign-animals-welfare-society-horses

Animal welfare activists seek ban on horse carriages along Alibaug beach

Horse carriages are made to ply tourists through waist-deep water, notice sent to collector.

 

Following no movement on their complaint against horse carriages made to ply through waist-deep sea water at Alibaug beach, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organization (FIAPO) has now sent a legal notice to the District Collector of Raigad on the issue and has asked for a ban on such practices at all beaches in the area.

“Since there was no action taken post our letter to the district collector in February, we have now sent a formal complaint under Section 133 of the Criminal Procedure Code so that immediate action is taken,” said Shakuntala Majhumdar, governing body member of FIAPO. “Apart from a ban on the practice near Kolaba fort, this time we have asked for a ban on horse carriages across all beaches in Alibaug,” she said.

The complaint terms the activity as a public nuisance since it puts human life at risk and amounts to cruelty against the animals under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act 1960. “It is an eminent threat to both the horse and people on the carriage. To the horse, because it is forced to pull a heavy load through waist deep sea water and to the people, because in case the horse slips and the carriage falls, it may cause them serious injury, especially to children and the elderly,” said Ambika Hiranandani, FIAPO’s lawyer. The complaint is made under Section 133 of the CrPC as it gives the district magistrate power to ban an activity which he considers public nuisance.

Newsline had reported on February 23 that FIAPO had complained against carriage drivers at Alibaug beach forcing horses to ply through waist deep sea water to ferry tourists to and from Kolaba fort, which is about a kilometer from the beach and becomes accessible by foot during low tide. When Newsline visited the spot, an estimated 30 to 40 such carts were found on the beach with two horses each. Experts said saline water can cause dryness of hoof of the horses leading to lameness and since horses cannot see the depth of water, fatal injuries can take place. Besides, carrying such heavy loads is abusive to them. 

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/animal-welfare-activists-seek-ban-on-horse-carriages-along-alibaug-beach/946691/  

Victorias trot towards sunset with a slice of Mumbai’s history

Enjoying an evening ride in a kitschy horse-carriage along the city’s promenade will be a thing of the past, thanks to the efforts of animal rights activists who have been demanding a ban on such rides, citing animal cruelty.

The clip-clop of hooves along the Gateway of India or Marine Drive is an enduring symbol of the city’s history. Long romanticised in Hindi movies, Victorias are also a popular tourist attraction.

“Most of my customers are from the West Asia, who cannot resist the novelty of sitting in a decorated horse-pulled carriage,” says Ashok Kumar, who plies his carriage at Gateway of India and charges Rs500 for a short ride to the Radio Club and back.

And when he is not busy taking Arab tourists on joyrides, Kumar is approached by young couples looking for a quiet and romantic time. “Of course, they pay only half of what I get from the Arabs,” he says.

Though the 130-odd carriages may not generate big revenues for the city or the government, historians insist that efforts should be taken to preserve the city’s past. “Owners and drivers should be directed to work with animal welfare organisations. Together, they can draw up regulations for better treatment of the horses. And the civic authorities can suggest routes for carriages to operate upon,” says historian and researcher Sharada Dwivedi.

Another suggestion is plying the carriages through some of the old and historic parts of the city during non-rush hours.

Fight for survivalMeanwhile, 100-odd Victoria drivers are concerned about their livelihood. “We take good care of the horses because our livelihood depends on their health and well-being,” says Aslam Khan, who has been driving a Victoria for the last 15 years. And it is not just the owners and drivers who are staring at an uncertain future. If carriages are banned, other workers in the trade, including ironsmiths who make horseshoes and metal carriages, and stable hands, will be put out of work.

Villains or victims?When the government stopped issuing licences to stables in Mumbai in 1974, several unchecked and unregulated stables and make-shift sheds sprouted in South Mumbai. Together, these house 172 horses. And while it is the responsibility of the owners and drivers to take care of the animals, the unlettered men are largely ignorant of animal or even human rights.

Celebrities campaign to ban horse carriages in Mumbai

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/October/international_October139.xml&section=international&col 

MUMBAI — For tourists visiting the Gateway of India, they are a charming relic from Mumbai’s past, but for the city’s harried motorists the horse carriages that ferry visitors around Colaba’s narrow lanes, they are a nuisance and a perennial danger.

And now animal activists and celebrities have also joined in, demanding a ban on horse carriages. On Monday, Salsa dancer Sandip Soparrkar and his supermodel wife Jesse Randhawa, dashed off a letter to the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC), seeking a ban on horse-drawn carriage rides throughout Mumbai.

Other celebrities, including actors Hema Malini and John Abraham, former Miss Sri Lanka Universe Jacqueline Fernandez, and even Lea Michele, star of the American musical-comedy drama series, Glee, have teamed up with the Indian unit of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), seeking an end to the horse-drawn carriage trade in the city.

The celebrities have joined PETA in calling for an end to the trade following an incident last week at Nariman Point, where an exhausted horse, pulling a heavy carriage for a joyride along Marine Drive, collapsed suddenly.

“The exhausted horse collapsed on the ground and was unable to get up for nearly 20 minutes,” Benazir Suraiya, media and celebrity projects coordinator, PETA India, told Khaleej Times on Monday. “This time the horse did not die but it may not be so lucky next time.”

According to her, horses are forced to share Mumbai’s busy roads with increasing numbers of vehicles and pedestrians. “Conditions for horses are deplorable: they are forced to haul passengers in sweltering heat and extreme cold and are frequently denied adequate rest, food and water. Over the years, there have been accidents in which both horses and people have been seriously injured.”  Suraiya points outs that in May another carriage horse collapsed at Kala Ghoda and the Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
rescued it. — nithin@khaleejtimes.com