- Illinois, USA -
FINALLY!
From January 1, 2021, newlyweds, tourists, prom-goers, and all butts too lazy to walk at the expenses of horses’ lives, will have to do without these ABUSIVE RIDES!!!
That’s right, no more clip-clopping hooves pulling lazy butts!
On Friday, April 24 the Chicago City Council voted to ban horse-drawn carriage rides starting in January 2021.
Under the ordinance passed Friday, once horse-drawn carriage licenses expire at the end of this year, operators will not be able to renew them, and the city will stop issuing new ones.
At the moment there are 10 licenses and 3 companies left in Chicago.
Animal rights activists rightfully praised the decision, claiming it's cruel to have horses working in a busy city environment.
In response to this long overdue decision, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement:
“This is a banner day for overworked horses in Chicago, who will no longer be forced to pound the pavement through extreme heat, thunderstorms, or blizzards and who are often deprived of even a drink of water, as the Chicago Alliance for Animals has documented for over three years.”
Kitty Block, the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said: “These animals suffer due to harsh working conditions, often experiencing chronic medical problems, including respiratory ailments and lameness, which are exacerbated by standing on hard surfaces for long periods and forced to pull overloaded carriages.”
Jodie Wiederkehr, who leads the Chicago Alliance for Animals, has been documenting mistreatment of the horses for several years.
She said: “For two years, we have relayed information to aldermen and the mayor about how they (operators) overwork horses and violate laws intended to protect public safety. These horse operators refuse to self-regulate. ... The city doesn’t have time to babysit this trade.”
Larry Ortega, owner of Chicago Horse and Carriage, has dismissed the animal cruelty argument.
The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, the Horsemen’s Council of Illinois and the Cook Country Farm Bureau asked aldermen not to vote on the issue and work instead to find a compromise.
Chicago now joins other cities that have bans on horse-drawn carriages, including Salt Lake City; Biloxi, Mississippi; Camden, New Jersey; and several cities in Florida.
