MANE-IACS animal activists harass horse carriage riders

Having failed to convince the City Council to ban carriage horses, animal activists have gone nuclear — yelling at tourists that they are “ab using animals” and even getting into altercations with drivers (inset right).

Central Park has turned into the Wild West over the battle to banish the horsecarriage industry — with activists spooking the animals, shoving their drivers and terrorizing tourists, a lawsuit alleges.

Carriage operator Central Park Sightseeing filed the suit to tame “extremist animal-rights organizations” and included several disturbing videos showing tourists — some with young kids — being berated and shamed by aggressive activists just for going on a ride.

“Teach your daughter some compassion!” one protester shouts in a clip, while in another, an activist says, “You just taught your daughter to abuse animals.”

“They show pictures of dead and bleeding horses from 10 years ago. Kids cry. Parents ask them to stop, and then the activists yell and harass the parents,” said horse-carriage driver Christina Hansen.

In another video, an activist approaches a carriage carrying four children and tells them: “The horse is very sad. They drop dead on the street.”

Hansen is involved in the Manhattan Supreme Court suit, which seeks to block New Yorkers for Clean Livable and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) and Friends of Animals from using hostile protesting tactics.

The groups claim the animals are mistreated.

The emergency suit comes ahead of a planned Dec. 17 demonstration.

“The activists hold huge posters and shove it in the horses’ face,” said another longtime driver, Robert Boyle, 72, who has worked in Central Park for 30 years.

Central Park Sightseeing owner Hakan Ugdur says the protesters shout obscenities and follow the carriages through traffic, which “disturbs and spooks the horses making them nervous and more likely to start, balk or shy.”

In an Oct. 8 incident caught on video, activist Edward Sullivan shoves a carriage driver who then bumps into a tourist cradling an infant.

“I have a baby here! Do you mind?” the woman yells.

Sullivan was arrested and charged with attempted assault and harassment.

The harassment started in August and has escalated with protesters blocking customers from taking booked rides, the suit says.

NYCLASS reps did not return calls for comment.

Mike Harris, an attorney for Friends of Animals, said the group’s former New York City director was fired for “engaging in activities with others outside the scope of her work.

“We still support the carriage ban, but FOA never directed anyone to engage in illegal behavior,” he said.