“An enchanted carriage, an enchanted carriage driver, a tormented horse” – this is one of the slogans with which a group of pro-animal activists, residents of Krakow, go to the Main Square. They are against the use of horses by horse-drawn carriages, the more so as – as they emphasize – tourists can travel through the historic center in electric cars. A group of people who appeared on social media (on Facebook) as a grassroots initiative “Wio z Krakowa“, have had two protests for stopping the carriages located in the heart of the city already and are planning further protests.
Many horses suffer from heat strokes
During their protests, the activists present on the boards original photos of horses from Krakow that fell on the streets of the city. There are also slogans on the boards that are to be sent to passers-by and people who intend to take the course in a horse-drawn carriage. “By boarding the carriages, you pay for the suffering of the horses. You rest and they work. Aren’t you ashamed?” – this is one of the slogans that appeared on the protest last Friday.
“We want to change the regulation that allows the functioning of carriages in Krakow, but we also noticed that there is a great need to educate people who are potential users of carriages” – explains Monika Kohut, one of the activists. “Admittedly, people themselves react to the fact that the carriage horses get tired of working in hot weather. But we also say how they are used, what their exploitation looks like, that this is a 12-hour job every other day – because it is allowed by the regulations”.
Will fights break loose?
During protests, sometimes the carriage drivers react nervously, they also move with their carriages to another part of the Market Square. Activists report this behavior as a misdemeanor because it causes the carriages to move illegally.
The initiative “Wio z Krakowa” intends to periodically repeat its protests. This is another initiative of this kind by animal protectors concerning Krakow. We would like to remind you that the Krakow Animal Defense Association has been demanding a total ban on the use of carriage horses to work in Krakow for 4 years.
The topic of horse-drawn carriages was also taken up by the councilors of District I in their resolution of the end of June. They demand that the president of Krakow conduct public consultations and prepare an analysis of the functioning of carriages in the Old Town.
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug
Thank you for writing about us and our protests.
It is important to share the news and let people know, so they may join in 🙂