The Traveller's Magazine
The mayor of Puerto Rico’s capital, has officially banned horse-drawn carriages from the San Juan’s streets following repeat allegations of animal abuse.
The decision quickly came after a photograph of a collapsed horse in the centre of historic San Juan was posted and shared on social media sites. The mayor said they had been receiving complaints for years from both tourists and locals about the treatment of the horses pulling the carriages.
The carriages were most popular among tourists visiting on flights to San Juan and cruise ships as a way to tour Old San Juan. It’s mostly family-run businesses using horses and carriages but already tourists and locals are praising the ban. There certainly are more ways to show tourists around the city than by horse-drawn carriage and we’re sure that animal activists are fist-pumping around the world at this small victory.
New York City has been promising a similar ban on horse-drawn carriages around Central Park, but it’s yet to become official. Perhaps the Big Apple will follow San Juan’s lead!
