Claudia Calleja
WSPA comes to the rescue of karozzini horses
An international animal welfare association has called on the Maltese authorities to set up adequate shelters for the karozzini horses.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is urging the authorities to take action to provide the horses with shade and drinking water. It suggested that a small fraction of the €1 million budget allocated for the regeneration of Valletta's St George's Square - from where karozzini stands were recently removed - should go towards providing horse shelters.
A chorus of 20 local animal rights organisations joined the request the WSPA sent to the ministries responsible for rural affairs, transport, tourism and to the Animal Welfare Department.
A government spokesman said the transport and tourism authorities were discussing the possibility of setting up shelters around Valletta and a water fountain was planned near the police station at Valletta Waterfront. Kevin Debono, from the karozzini association, welcomed the organisations' interest in the cause. "Our horses clearly suffer in the heat. They sweat and pant. Something needs to be done. All we want is healthy horses so that we can offer a good service to tourists," he said.
Earlier this month horse-drawn cab drivers were stopped from entering the centre of Valletta that was turned into a pedestrian area. Cab stands were temporarily relocated in various areas on the outskirts of the capital. The cab drivers have been insisting on a permanent base. The WSPA has called on the authorities to take action to safeguard the long-term welfare of the horses. "As a member state of the European Union... it is important that Malta not only maintains high standards of animal welfare but is also seen to do so internationally," it said.
The 20 local NGOs said it was important that any shelters set up were spacious enough to accommodate both the horses and the cab so as to avoid situations where the horses still ended up in the sun. Animal Welfare Department director Mario Spiteri explained that the department planned to have a drinking fountain for horses at the Waterfront. In fact, pipes were already in place.
Dr Spiteri said his department was not empowered to build shelters for horses, however it was ensuring animal welfare by asking owners to cover the animals with a protective cloth when standing in the sun. Those who did not comply were fined for animal cruelty.
While shelters only catered for a few horses, Dr Spiteri said, such protective cover helped keep the animal cool wherever it was standing.
He added that the department was having talks with the Malta Tourism Authority to have uniform protective cloths that would make cabs look neater in the eyes of tourists.
While welcoming the initiative taken by the Animal Welfare Department, the NGOs said that covering cab horses with a protective cloth was "far from satisfactory and is surely not an ideal solution to ensure and safeguard in the long-term the well-being and welfare of cab horses".
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Joseph Vassallo
Aug 29th 2009, 10:16
I read your headline and thought, " Ah! They're coming over here to build some shelter for the poor horses". But alas, no. Just another appeal added. I have to remark that as I walked out of Valletta last week, I couldn't help but notice that although there was shade available, the horses were kept in the belting sun, whereas the karozzini and the drivers were in the shade. Does that mean that the karozzin is more expensive to maintain than is the horse? And of course, the plastic seats are not very comfortable on the tourists' butts if left in the sun, are they? They might even refuse the ride. Please tell me it's not ALL drivers that have no affinity with their beast.
apgrech
Aug 29th 2009, 08:16
While government and everyone else are "discussing" the issue, the poor horses are suffering and those in charge or involved don't seem to care.
Such an issue is URGENT and can't wait for months or years to be dealt with. It shouldn't even wait days but urgent rulings are needed by those who are comfortable in their air conditioned cars while these poor animals are exposed to enormous heat.
Yes, apathy reigns mightily in this country.
F.Spiteri
Aug 29th 2009, 08:13
Now that an international association has come forward, MAYBE the authorities will finally take action !!
Joseph E Briffa
Aug 28th 2009, 20:17
@ C Camilleri ...a big YES to your question..Most of the Maltese are ignorant, laidback and do things in a primitive manner, so we need to be told what to do.. Shame on the karazzini association; they should be educated and taught that a horse has a right to a decent life. the fact that cab horses lead a miserable life in Malta is due to 1. the lack of love for the horse and 2. the lack of initiative on the part of the authorities to provide adequate shelter and drinking troughs. Hundreds of years ago when people were more primitive, adequate horses' troughs were provided - the ornate one at Floriana by Argotti Gardens, but in this day and age, no troughs are provided in Valetta, Mdina, or St Julian's, where alot of karozzini conglomerate. And we take offence if somebody much more civilized than we are tells us what to do! What a nerve! Re Dr Spiteri's suggestion, may I suggest that he stays in the scorching heat of our summer sun and covers himself with a piece of cloth to see for himself how wise his suggestions are. .
W Spencer
Aug 28th 2009, 17:26
@ c camilleri They dictate to you, because of apathy, on the part of people / authorities/ etc, who could have solved the MANY, MANY ' easy win ' problems prevailing on the Islands. Being pro - active rather than being re - active, would solve SO MANY problems. But it appears to always be a case of ' manyana ' here !!
A.Calleja
Aug 28th 2009, 16:52
I say do not give them anything - not even a license to operate - before they clean up their act. Animal lovers should not have a problem with that because their beloved four legged friends will have to stay home under adequate all-weather shelter instead of toiling it out on the streets. We the people who roam our capital city in the aftermath of the passage of the Karozzini have incontestable rights to demand that their owners be made to comply with common decency requirements in caring for our health and environment. The government has to demand that they adopt adequate measures to leave our roads clean from the excrements of their tenders and to behave and dress in a manner which does bring disrepute to the country. Once they are willing to be regulated by legislation they can be issued with permits to operate in designated zones and face the consequences when caught in breach of the rules. Any serious NGO worthy of support and respect should find no fault on this way forward.
c. camilleri
Aug 28th 2009, 15:48
Any more associations dictating us what we should do and what we should not do.
Joe Azzopardi
Aug 28th 2009, 13:19
This could be an opportunity to create some handsome new features (fountain and shelters) at the Valletta waterfront. Let's not have the usual cheap solution but something that will be worth preserving in the future.