FIR filed after wounded mare, malnourished foal rescued
Times of India | 27 August 2024
Kolkata: Animal rights action groups — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and CAPE Foundation — have rescued an abandoned foal and its mother with open wounds and covered in blood from the Maidan area, near Victoria Memorial. An FIR was filed by the Maidan police station on Aug 18. The health conditions of the mare and the foal have improved following treatment.
“The mare was emaciated, severely injured, and in a state of extreme distress with a deep, untreated wound on her right shoulder, swollen fetlock joints, indicative of osteoarthritis, and showing signs of malnutrition.The foal was malnourished and also at significant risk of being involved in a traffic accident,” said PETA India advocacy director, Khushboo Gupta. She alleged that the owner had deliberately abandoned the mare after she collided with a vehicle, leaving her and the foal to die. “This is a stark reminder of the cruelty faced by horses forced to haul victoria carriages in Kolkata,” said Gupta, demanding replacement of the horse carriages with electronic ones.
CAPE Foundation managing trustee Radhika Bose called for immediate steps to take horses off the roads, from under bridges and makeshift shacks. “The horses need to be rehabilitated to sanctuaries for a dignified life,” she said. In recent months, at least eight horses died in Kolkata. Dozens of horseshave been found to be anaemic, malnourished, and chronically starved.