Palma horse carriage protest demands end to service

Horse carriages in Palma are the target of a protest outside Mallorca Cathedral on Saturday. Animal welfare group Satya Animal will gather at 11.00 in Palau Reial street, calling on Palma City Council to end the service. It wants a firm timetable for every horse to be removed from the work.

The group says replacing only some carriages with electric vehicles, as proposed by the council, would not solve the issue. It is demanding that the horses are taken out of the trade altogether.

Satya Animal says their future must also be secured. It will propose moving the animals to sanctuaries, shelters or suitable private fincas, where they would no longer be used as working animals.

The organisation also pointed to a recent row involving a carriage driver and a tourist. It said the woman reported being insulted and attacked after asking for a horse to be given water.

Satya Animal has further criticised veterinary checks. It says municipal rules require annual technical and health inspections, but that horses began this season without having undergone the review.

The group says it will call protests every Saturday in September until Cort, Palma’s city administration, gives a clear response and commitments.

Topics: Protests · Tourism · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com