An exhausted transport horse collapsed during the evening rush hour in Manhattan on Wednesday sparking outrage in NYC and online.
Witnesses at the scene posted the video on Twitter after the animal’s knees fell on the asphalt near Times Square. According to The NY Post, a person at the scene said the driver pulled the reins and slapped the horse to get it up when it collapsed. The owner has since been called out for alleged animal abuse.
New York pedestrians are said to have been disturbed when the depressed horse lay on its side and head in the street before several NYPD officers arrived to help.
REMOVAL: This horse was COLD while pulling a carriage in NYC, possibly from heat exhaustion and had been idle for over an hour.
Horses don’t belong in big cities, where they are constantly in danger because of cars, people, weather and more. pic.twitter.com/vXBVRJRjPB
– PETA (@peta) August 10, 2022
Those involved and PETA received numerous comments on horse rights, including one from someone claiming to be a veterinarian.
“As a veterinarian, I can see from this photo, she is too thin. This poor horse.”
As a vet, I can see from this photo, she’s way too skinny. This poor horse. If the water is cold, that will make heat exhaustion/heatstroke even worse. Lukewarm is the best!
– ABW (@ spooner44) August 11, 2022
The horse finally stood up after an hour
According to the video and witnesses, a group of police officers then arrived. They were filmed with the horse getting drenched in water, which was finally able to stand after more than an hour. The NYPD affiliate also transported the animal to an unspecified location for treatment, according to police.
“I saw the horse fall. It was clear that he was malnourished, dehydrated, hungry. The guy started whipping his horse and telling him to get up instead of giving him water,” said Uber Eats driver Kelvin Gonzalez, 25. NY Post Office.
“I told him, ‘Yo, stop hitting him, give him some water. It’s a horse, not a machine.”
The concerned witness in New York said he could tell the horse was not cared for by its owner.
“It’s really sad, man. You can tell he’s harnessing that horse. The horse is hungry, it is thirsty. You can tell the horse has fallen from thirst.” Gonzalez said.
A horse pushing a carriage collapsed in Midtown Manhattan due to the heat, and NYPD officers and other city workers helped the horse with water. This is the time when the horse can get up again
(Repost) #heatwave #NYC #NYPD pic.twitter.com/TJmpC6XoDA– Viral News NY (@ViralNewsNYC) August 10, 2022
Last month, New York City Council members introduced a bill to replace horse-drawn carriages with electric vehicles in Manhattan. Advocates feel strongly about the summer heat creating inhuman working conditions for animals.
