Tragic: A New York carriage horse collapsed and died in the street as it made the early morning commute from its stables to Central Park to begin its shift yesterday morningA New York carriage horse collapsed and died in the street, as horrified bystanders looked on.
The white horse keeled over as it made the early morning commute, from its stables in western Manhattan to Central Park, to begin its shift yesterday morning. Tragically it died soon afterwards.
The latest death will fuel the argument for the horses to be taken off the streets permanently.
Outrage: Campaigners argue that the number of collisions and the suffering of the animals makes the cost of the industry too highThe horrific incident happened on West 54th Street near Eighth Avenue at about 9:30 am, according to the ASPCA.
The famous horses, which number around 220 in New York, work nine hour shifts, after making the two mile journey to the park, where they pick up tourists.
Campaigners argue that the stress of the work and the inadequate stabling causes the horses to live short miserable lives.
Elizabeth Forel of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages told Mail Online: 'Healthy horses do not drop dead on the street.
'The drivers always like to profess that they are such horse experts.
'If that is so, then shouldn't the driver have been more sensitive to this horse and noticed that something was wrong.'
Dead: The horse is covered with a tarpaulin before being loaded into a police vehicle. Results of the necropsy are expected tomorrow morningThe number of collisions also makes the cost of the industry unacceptable, activists claim.
Contrary to popular belief the horses do not live in the park, but in four stables in western Manhattan.
The stables are located on 37th, 38th, 45th and 52nd st. - all between 10th and 11th avenue.
In the wake of the latest death animal rights activists have called for an investigation:
Stacy Wolf of the ASPCA said: 'The life of a carriage horse on New York City streets is extremely difficult and life threatening and the ASPCA has long believed that carriage horses were never meant to live and work in today's urban setting,'
Cottage Industry: There are around 220 working carriage horses in New York driven by around 300 driversElizabeth Forel of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages told Mail Online: 'Healthy horses do not drop dead on the street.
'The drivers always like to profess that they are such horse experts.
'If that is so, then shouldn't the driver have been more sensitive to this horse and noticed that something was wrong.'
A spokesman for the Horse and Carriage Association of New York told the New York Daily News that the unexplained death was 'a tragedy.'
He said: 'It's not something that happens regularly. ... Our horses are taken care of.'
The ASPCA said it has transported its body to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for a necropsy to determine the cause of death. Results are expected tomorrow morning.
source: dailymail
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