Horse-drawn carriage rides to the popular Morskie Oko lake in Poland’s southern Tatra Mountains will be restricted from next year over concerns about animal abuse.
Instead of pulling a carriage seven kilometers one way, horses will carry tourists along a two-and-a-half kilometer stretch and will exclusively serve the purpose of exhibiting culture. In addition, the load on horse-drawn carts will be significantly reduced.
Electric buses will replace horses on the more challenging stretches of the route, and horse-drawn carriage drivers are expected to be employed to operate the buses.
A total of 20 electric buses will be used for this purpose, with four purchased by the ministry already expected to hit the road in early May this year.
Minister for Climate and Environment Paulina Hennig-Kloska announced the news on X, describing it as a “historic moment.”
Tatra National Park director Szymon Ziobrowski said:
“After many hours of discussions, a solution was reached that combines concern for animal welfare with the needs of tourists and the local community.”
In turn, the Viva Foundation, an animal rights group that has long monitored the welfare of horses used to carry passengers up the Tatra mountains, and which has campaigned for the complete ban on this mode of transport, said they were “outraged” at the Ministry’s decision – namely because they said they were excluded from the discussions on this issue.
Electric buses will replace horses on the more challenging stretches of the route, and horse-drawn carriage drivers are expected to be employed to operate the buses.
A total of 20 electric buses will be used for this purpose, with four purchased by the ministry already expected to hit the road in early May this year.
Minister for Climate and Environment Paulina Hennig-Kloska announced the news on X, describing it as a “historic moment.”
Tatra National Park director Szymon Ziobrowski said:
“After many hours of discussions, a solution was reached that combines concern for animal welfare with the needs of tourists and the local community.”
In turn, the Viva Foundation, an animal rights group that has long monitored the welfare of horses used to carry passengers up the Tatra mountains, and which has campaigned for the complete ban on this mode of transport, said they were “outraged” at the Ministry’s decision – namely because they said they were excluded from the discussions on this issue.
Source: Polskie Radio
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