A tragic incident unfolded in New York City’s Central Park on Tuesday when a 16-year-old carriage horse passed away, as confirmed by the city’s police department.
Authorities received a report of a horse’s death near Central Park West and 72nd Street at 7:29 p.m. The horse-drawn carriage was carrying two passengers at the time of the unfortunate event.
“While out for a run, I witnessed a horse struggling to breathe on the ground, and then it sadly stopped breathing,” recounted Clara Bermudez, a witness to the incident.
According to the Transport Workers Union Local 100, the horse, affectionately known as Deniz, was cherished by those who cared for him. In March, the NYPD Mounted Unit’s veterinarian had examined Deniz and declared him healthy.
Eric Loegel from TWU Local 100 expressed, “Tragically, horses, much like other domestic animals, can suffer from sudden and severe health issues.”
Deniz will be taken for a full necropsy by the pathology department of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to determine the cause of death.
It’s a contentious divide between animal rights groups and those who support horse drawn carriages.
“I just was walking my dog and see a dead horse on the path on my walk home. And again, this is the second incident that I’ve seen in 10 months,” Danielle Leean Chin said.
“For these people to come and just accuse him of mistreating his animal, that helps him feed his children is revolting,” Christine Hansen said.
PETA Director Ashley Byrne responded to the incident with a statement saying, “If City Council needed a sign that the time is now to pass Ryder’s Law, this is it. How many more horses must collapse and die on New York City streets before this deadly horse-drawn carriage industry is put out to pasture?”
Animal Rights Groups have been trying to ban carriage rides for years.
Even before this latest casualty, they were planning a rally at city hall for Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the rides remain a popular attraction for tourists.
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