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Electric cars to replace horses on Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands
Electric cars to replace horses on Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands
The Turkish authorities have announced that electric cars would soon replace the horse-drawn carriages on Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands amid public outrage over the cruel treatment the animals have endured for decades. Click through for the story in photos by Hürriyet reporter Murat Şaka...
Around 1,500 horses are used for transportation on the Princes’ Islands, where vehicle traffic is banned. They are particularly popular among day-trippers visiting the island.
Despite the widely condemned poor condition of horses on Büyükada, there are no treatment centers on the island and no works underway to keep the hundreds of badly treated horses healthy.
The horses that pull carriages in areas like the Princes’ Islands have an average life expectancy of just two years, rather than the average 20 years for healthy horses, according to a report published by the Animal Rights Watch Committee (HAKİM) last year.
Some 1,540 horses pull 272 carriages on the Princes’ Islands, 230 of which are on the biggest island, Büyükada, the report said, adding that 400 horses die due to accidents or squalid conditions every year.
Angry calls to authorities went viral on social media in the past week, after a video showing dozens of horses being transported to the island by sea was published, showing the miserable conditions the animals face.
Amid the public outrage, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality announced in a statement on June 18 that the widely condemned practice would soon end.
According to the statement, electric cars and minibuses, which can carry up to 12 people, will be tested on Kınalıada in the upcoming days.
The new method will then be put in practice on another islands as well, in the hope of bringing the horses peace and comfort.
Carriage operators, however, opposed the proposal, arguing that the livelihood of more than 3,000 people will be affected if the electric cars replace their vehicles.
“Replacing the horse-drawn carriages will affect both the locals and the operators,” said the head of the Büyükada Coachmen’s Association, Hasan Ünal, adding that the carriages are part of the islands’ culture.
Hıdır Ünal, the chairman of the chamber of coachmen, argued that the local economy will suffer.
“Businesses on those islands depend on the horse-drawn carriages. People visit those islands to enjoy a ride on the carriages. If you remove those vehicles, people will stop coming to the islands,” Ünal said.
He also said they were working to modernize the sector. “The Istanbul Municipality should help us make improvements, such as building new stables,” Ünal added.
Photos: Murat Şaka/Hürriyet
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