Istanbul Municipality shares photos of horses on islands in good condition

ISTANBUL

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has shared pictures of horses that were once used for horse-drawn carriages on Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands, saying they were being fed regularly despite the outbreak.

Animal rights activists had raised questions over the current conditions of the horses and whether they were living in small and stuffy stables, as the coronavirus outbreak has halted life across Turkey.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality spokesperson Murat Ongun gave information about the horses that are now under the authority’s ownership.

“Our horses on the islands are regularly fed with 12.5 tons of barley per month. Our vets carry out health checks, shelters have been renewed, 30 people look after them,” Ongun said.

Following the killing of 81 horses due to an outbreak of glanders on Dec. 19 on Büyükada, the largest of Istanbul’s nine Princes’ Islands, the municipality had decided to buy 277 registered horse-drawn carriages and the horses in the district.

Despite the widely condemned poor conditions of the horses on Büyükada, there were no treatment centers on the island, and there were no works underway to keep the hundreds of badly treated horses healthy. The horses would have to carry tourists and locals on their backs under the scorching sun, with many rights activists calling for this brutality to end.

The horse-drawn carriages are now banned on the island and are under the ownership of the municipality.