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CARRIAGE HORSES
On line Petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/ch4ny123/
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Ban
The Carriage Horse Industry in New York City |
To: NYC Mayor Michael
Bloomberg & NYC Council Members
BACKGROUND
On January 2, 2006, a
horse pulling a hansom cab in Manhattan got spooked and bolted down 9th Avenue,
galloping for several blocks before smashing into a station wagon at 50th
Street. The horse was badly injured, wrapped around the car, with his rear legs
on top of it and his head on the ground. He was later euthanized. He was five
years old and had only been working in the city for a few months. His name was
Spotty. The driver was critically injured and was taken to the hospital along
with the two passengers of the station wagon.
Photo by Catherine Nance
This tragic and horrifying accident did not have to happen. For decades, NYC
activists have sought a ban on this dangerous industry. Hansom cabs are an
anachronism in mid town Manhattan's congested streets and belong to another
century when there were far fewer vehicles and pedestrians. When they are mixed
with cars, taxis, busses, pedestrians, bikers, and emergency vehicles - fire
trucks, ambulances and police cars - they are a recipe for disaster. Other
cities such as London, Paris and Toronto have all banned carriage horses.
Please join us in asking the NYC Council and Mayor Bloomberg to ban this
industry. We encourage not only New Yorkers, but those who live in other states
and countries, to sign this petition. It is time for NYC to move into the 21st
century and take seriously its moral and ethical responsibility to these
sentient beings while ensuring the safety of its citizens. Surely as a civilized
society and America's premier city, we must do no less.
Therefore:
Because horse drawn carriages constitute a danger to people in vehicles, on
bicycles and on foot; and
Because they impede the flow of traffic, particularly with respect to emergency
vehicles; and
Because it is inhumane and unbecoming to a great city like New York to force
these beautiful sentient animals to work in dangerous, unhealthy and unnatural
conditions.
We, the Undersigned, hereby urge Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Council to
immediately ban all horse drawn carriages from the City of New York.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
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