Demonstration in Palma to set a date for the end of horse-drawn carriages

PalmaAnimal rights groups are once again demanding that the replacement of Palma's horse-drawn carriages with electric vehicles have a concrete schedule. Satya Animal, Progreso en Verde, and Arde have called for a demonstration this Saturday, October 17th, at 6:00 PM, to demand that the City Council set public deadlines to make the transition effective and guarantee a dignified retirement for the animals retired from service.

The march will depart from the Plaça de la Porta de Santa Catalina and will travel through La Feixina, the Passeig de Sagrera, and Avinguda d'Antoni Maura until reaching the Plaça de la Reina. The organizers are asking for Cort to specify how and when animal traction will be abandoned in this tourist activity.

The call comes after the City Council announced an agreement last March with the majority of the drivers to progressively replace the horse-drawn carriages with electric vehicles. As published by ARA Balears, the owners had expressed their willingness to make the change voluntarily, and Cort had announced that it would study the necessary regulatory modifications. At that time, however, no specific deadlines or conditions for the replacement were established.

Animal welfare

For the organizing organizations, horse-drawn carriages are not exclusively a tourism issue, nor a tradition that should remain outside the debate on animal welfare. They warn that physical exertion, traffic, asphalt, and weather conditions expose horses to constant risks in an activity intended for the leisure of visitors.

The entities also question the effectiveness of the restrictions and of the controls and inspections. They consider that the animals continue to be used as work tools even though there are electric alternatives that would allow for them to be dispensed with. For this reason, they demand that the transition include both the withdrawal of the horses and guarantees regarding the conditions in which they will live afterwards.

The debate already motivated another protest in the center of Palma on September 26. At that time, animal rights platforms denounced that the agreement announced by Cort did not establish a binding deadline nor did it provide for sanctions in case of non-compliance. They also demanded an ordinance with mandatory deadlines and a rescue plan for each horse retired from service.

Saturday's mobilization is part of a set of actions in defense of animals planned between Friday and Sunday. On Friday, at 10 a.m., a protest is called at the University of the Balearic Islands against vivisection and animal experimentation. That same day, at 6 p.m., a demonstration will be held in front of Louis Vuitton against the use of animal fur in the fashion industry.

The calls will continue on Sunday, at 10 a.m., with a demonstration in front of Marineland against the captivity of marine animals.