These horses were 'rescued', and then their ordeal began

The horses at the shed allegedly have bleeding eyes, are subjected to ill treatment and left starving. Pic/Satej Shinde

Horses rescued by the BMC to be saved from atrocities are leading an atrocious life in the civic body's resting shed in Malad, owners of these horses have alleged. The horses allegedly have bleeding eyes, are subjected to ill treatment and left hungry and thirsty. Crying for help from the authorities, the owners are asking for better care. Meanwhile, BMC has refuted the claims saying all the animals are fine.

The resting shed in question is the one in Evershine Nagar, Malad west, where animals seized by the civic body are kept till their court process is completed. Eight horses were seized and brought here by BMC authorities from Dadar and Juhu chowpatty on April 4, following the deputy commissioner's (disaster management) March 24 circular that demanded horse riding be stopped and the animals should be sent to resting sheds.

The horses were brought to the shed following a circular that demanded horse riding be stopped

'Some were bleeding'
Ever since that day, the horses are being ill-treated. "Four of my horses were seized by BMC and taken to the resting shed. When I went to the shed the next day, I was shocked to see the arrangements. Horses were standing in the sun, there was not enough water, and some were bleeding as well," said Mangesh Narvekar, an owner. "After seeing the state of this shed, I travel to Malad everyday from Sion to feed and wash my horses. They are my bread and butter; if they get ill here, how they will survive?" he asked.

A source from the shed said, "No veterinary doctor has been appointed in this resting shed. Also, the fodder given here is totally dry, which horses don't eat. There is not enough shade for the animals, which is why they end up standing in the sun all day. Animals suffer a lot in this sorry state."

BMC says
When mid-day asked BMC authorities about the allegations, Dr Yogesh Shetye, general manager of the Deonar abattoir, also responsibile for the resting sheds, said, "Whenever we bring animals to resting sheds, they get released as and when the court allows. There is no such situation at the shed; in fact, the horse in the pictures is blind. The redness seen is actually lotion and cream applied to cure their injuries."

8
Number of horses that were brought to the shed on April 4

While we read about the unfortunate condition of the horses in Mumbai shelter, in another country these animals have a privileged lifestyle. Read Horses Get Their Own 5-Star Resort In Qatar

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