14 DAY TRIAL // Bill de Blasio, New York City's 109th and current mayor, is nothing if not determined to follow up on at least one of his election promises. Long story short, he is dead set on ridding the city of horse-drawn carriages.
By the looks of it, Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to ban horse-drawn carriage rides in the city's Central Park not only because he has promised folks that he would do so.
On the contrary, it would seem that he himself is convinced that this form of entertainment can and should be considered a form of animal abuse, Huffington Post tells us.
“We are going to get rid of horse carriages, period,” Mayor Bill de Blasio reportedly stated during a recent press conference.
What's interesting is that, according to media reports, the mayor wishes to have Central Park's horse-drawn carriages replaced by so-called antique-style electric vehicles.
Word has it that, should things go Bill de Blasio's way, these vehicles are to be driven by the people who currently work as carriage drivers.
Animal rights activists have for some time now been asking that horse-drawn carriages be banned in New York City.
They say that the animals are more often than not overworked, and that they risk developing several health conditions due to the fact that they spend many hours in a row breathing in vehicle emissions.
What's more, it often happens that such horses are accidentally hit by cars and suffer major injuries.
“Horses do not belong in a congested, urban setting where they constantly breathe exhaust while dodging dangerous traffic,” says animal rights group NYCLASS.
Carriage drivers disagree and say that not only are the animals well taken care of, but that they enjoy working as well. As driver Fred Leite puts it, “They're strong, they're healthy, they work for a living. They don't do this, they get depressed.”
Should Mayor Bill de Blasio ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City, drivers are ready and willing to fight his decision in court.