Mumbai: Veterinarian doctors from Turf club tell BMC they will help seized horse

RWITC's Kuleshwar Singh and Dr Anil Lahane visit the shed on Monday

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) won't quit horsing around with the health of the four-legged animals kept at its Malad shed, despite getting an offer for help from the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC). After reading mid-day's front-page report on April 21 about the terrible condition of rescued horses kept in the government-run shed, RWITC visited it on Monday to observe the animals and offer help but had to return without giving any, as no senior BMC officials were at the site.

On April 21, mid-day had reported about the sad state of affairs at the civic body's resting shed in Evershine Nagar, Malad west, wherein horse owners had alleged BMC was ill-treating the horses it had seized from them. After reading that report, RWITC decided to visit the shed on Monday.

RWITC officials only found BMC's class IV employees at the shed

They might die
When the team inspected the shed and horses, they were shocked to see the condition of the animals. "All the horses were out in the sun; they were not tied inside the shed. Also, there was no proper water or food for them" said RWITC's Dr. Anil Lahane, adding, "We checked the condition of the horses, which was terrible. If they keep them as it is, they will end up contracting diseases and possibly dying, too. If you want me to rate the facility, I will give it 10-20 points out of 100."

The horses are given dry food and warm water at the shed and aren't bathed with cold water, which is important in the summer

The RWITC officials also noticed that the water given to the horses and other animals was kept out in the open, which had become warm due to the sun. The food being given to them wasn't top-notch either, as it was dry. Apart from this, every horse had some injury on its body; small scratches and cuts, which could lead to serious infections.

The animals were also not being bathed everyday with cold water, which is important during the summer. RWITC authorities tried to contact BMC authorities in a bid to help improve this situation, but that didn't go too well. "There was no one except class IV employees. We wanted to extend our hand and expertise to help the horses, but since there were no authorities available, we returned," said Kuleshwar Singh, assistant stipendary steward, RWITC.

All is well for BMC
The civic body seems to be as nonchalant as ever about the state of the shed. When mid-day reached out Yogesh Shetye, the general manager of the Deonar abbatoir, under whose responsibility the shed also falls, he said, "We have arrangements for everything, every horse has its own case paper. These horses suffered when they were kept with their owners as they were not in the proper shed. In fact, we're giving them proper medication and trying to improve their health. We had brought 15 horses, out of which eight have been taken away by owners after paying the fine. I disagree with reports about mismanagement."

Also Read: Horses 'Rescued' By BMC Are Now Living An Atrocious Life In Shelter In Malad

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