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They have been a favourite tourist attraction in New York for decades, but the days when horses pull decorated carriages through Central Park and the avenues of midtown Manhattan may soon be numbered.
Citing an accident in September that ended with a horse dying after crashing into a tree, a Democrat member of the city council plans to introduce legislation tomorrow that would bring an end to one of the most popular and picturesque tourist sights in town.
"Horses are incompatible with traffic, especially midtown traffic," said Tony Avella. The time has come, he claimed, to bring New York in line with other big cities.
While there have been numerous campaigns in recent years to reform the horse-and-carriage industry, and better ensure protection for the animals, this is the first time any political leader has sought to outlaw the more than 200 Hansom cab horses them entirely.
His proposals have already sparked a war of words, with animal rights activists coming out in fervent support.
On the other side, however, are the hansom cab drivers who accuse Avella of tabling his bill simply to further his political ambitions. He is expected to run for mayor in 2009.
Avella is the "one who should be put out to pasture", retorted the Horse & Carriage Association of New York, which represents the owners of the licensed carriages in the city. Most of the horses are kept in stables near the Hudson River but spend at least three months a year on farms and are eventually retired to farms.
"This is just a cheap publicity programme - he is running on the backs of these horses," declared association spokeswoman Carolyn Daly.
Claiming his campaign had nothing to do with animal welfare, she added: "He should be ashamed. This is not about the horses. This is about Tony Avella. He's the worst kind of elected official."
The city has 220 licensed carriage horses, 293 certified drivers and 68 licensed carriages, said Daly. The Health Department issues permits and registration for the horses and stables, and is responsible for inspections.
How far Avella can go in gathering support for his bill is not certain. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said only a week ago that he regards the horse-drawn carriages to be one of the most vital tourist assets of the city. Nor does it appear that Avella has persuaded the leader of the council, Christine Quinn, to back him, meaning that in the short term his quest may be doomed to fail.
Animal rights activists have rushed to support him. "The industry is inherently inhumane, and we feel that way because it denies a horse its most basic instincts," said Elizabeth Forel, president of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.
Avella may have started a new conversation about the presence of the horses in the heart of the city that may not quickly go away.
"It may take some time, but eventually it's going to happen," he said of his proposal.
- Independent, AP
