4 injured, diseased horses rescued; may be carrying a ‘fatal’ infection
NEWDELHI: The Delhi Police, with help from an animal welfare organisation, rescued four malnourished, injured and diseased horses in Delhi on Friday, which were being forced to work illegally in weddings for carrying the bridegroom.
Veterinarians warned that the four horses may be potential carriers of glanders — a fatal and an incurable bacterial disease that can also be transmitted from horses to humans. Blood samples of the four horses were sent to the National Research Centre on Equines in Haryana for tests.
“Common symptoms of glanders in humans include fever with chills and sweating, muscle aches, chest pain, muscle tightness and headache. It is rare in humans but can spread through direct contact. It could be fatal,” said Abhijit Bhawal, veterinarian of Delhi Zoo.
In January 2018, an outbreak of glanders was reported from Delhi for the first time prompting the government to restrict the movement of equines — horses, mules and donkeys. At least 40 horses were detected with the disease even though there were no human victims.
Acting on a complaint lodged by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the police rescued three horses from Nangloi in west Delhi and one from Nand Nagri in northeast Delhi.
“All the horses were suffering from malnutrition and had wounds. While one had a fractured leg, a young mare had no vision in one of its eyes. One was suffering from skin disease,” said Manilal Valliyate, CEO of PETA India and an equine expert.
There are around 3,600 such horses, donkeys and mules in Delhi, most of which are not registered with the municipality and are therefore, illegally owned. But neither the government nor the civic agencies do anything to implement the existing laws which mandate registration of all domesticated animals, a senior official of the animal husbandry department said.
These animals are denied proper and adequate food, water and veterinary care. Many horses collapse from exhaustion or dehydration, especially when they are subjected to the extreme heat. Because they are forced to live in unsanitary conditions, they contract several diseases.
“To make them presentable, they are painted and their wounds sealed with lime. They are dressed up to hide wounds. Even though there are several laws, which say horses can’t be made to work after sunset or before sunrise and there are limits on the loads which these animals can carry, rules are flouted openly. During the peak wedding season, they are forced to attend at least five weddings in a single day,” said Gauri Maulekhi, an animal right activist.
The four rescued horses would be sent to a rehabilitation centre in Gurugram run by a NGO. But experts claimed the civic bodies and the government would have to ensure that existing laws are implemented so that this cycle of animal abuse is be broken.
“Hardly any stable in Delhi is registered and are mostly running illegally,” said Valliyate.