A bizarre video of a woman dressed as a horse pulling a carriage has reignited a debate over an old Polish tradition.
Horse-drawn carriages, a tourist attraction in Poland’s southern Tatra Mountains, have long been criticized as a form of animal abuse.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Climate and Environment said it planned to phase out the use of horses along a route leading to the Morskie Oko lake, a popular mountain destination, sparking fury among locals who make a living from the practice.
The video, which has since gone viral, shows a woman dressed in blue wearing a toy horse head pulling, by herself, the same kind of carriage used to transport tired tourists.
The post caused a stir and an avalanche of comments, both positive and negative.
A study from 2019 reported that 70% of the horses plying the Morskie Oko route experienced light to moderate effort in their work, 27% experienced strenuous effort, and only 3% experienced very strenuous effort.
But animal rights defenders remain unconvinced, calling for a complete ban on horse-drawn transport in the Polish Tatras.
The Viva Foundation, an animal rights group, raised concerns in a September 2023 report that said it had found “alarming data” on the treatment of the animals in question, the horses at Morskie Oko.
The foundation said it managed to ascertain the fates of 1,002 horses working on the Morskie Oko route from 2012 to the summer of 2022.
During this timeframe, 712 horses were retired from work, and 61% of them, 433 in total, were sent to slaughterhouses, it said.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Climate and Environment said it planned to phase out the use of horses along a route leading to the Morskie Oko lake, a popular mountain destination, sparking fury among locals who make a living from the practice.
The video, which has since gone viral, shows a woman dressed in blue wearing a toy horse head pulling, by herself, the same kind of carriage used to transport tired tourists.
The post caused a stir and an avalanche of comments, both positive and negative.
A study from 2019 reported that 70% of the horses plying the Morskie Oko route experienced light to moderate effort in their work, 27% experienced strenuous effort, and only 3% experienced very strenuous effort.
But animal rights defenders remain unconvinced, calling for a complete ban on horse-drawn transport in the Polish Tatras.
The Viva Foundation, an animal rights group, raised concerns in a September 2023 report that said it had found “alarming data” on the treatment of the animals in question, the horses at Morskie Oko.
The foundation said it managed to ascertain the fates of 1,002 horses working on the Morskie Oko route from 2012 to the summer of 2022.
During this timeframe, 712 horses were retired from work, and 61% of them, 433 in total, were sent to slaughterhouses, it said.
Source: Fakt.pl, businessinsider.com.pl, viva.org.pl
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