New York City Council voted on Thursday to end horse-drawn carriage rides in the US city from June 2028.
The planned ban covers city streets and Central Park, the large public park in Manhattan where carriage rides have long been a tourist attraction.
The bill passed with 40 votes in favour, seven against and two abstentions in the 51-member council. Mayor Zohran Mamdani supported the bill and said earlier this month that the horse-drawn carriage industry would end.
The bill includes protections for the horses during the change. Owners would not be allowed to transfer horses for slaughter or for use in another horse-drawn carriage business. They would also have to notify the city before transferring a licensed horse.
These rules matter because ending carriage rides does not, by itself, establish where every horse will live or who will pay for their care.
Animal protection organisations welcomed the vote. The decision follows years of debate and several widely reported incidents.
In June, a 16-year-old carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died in Central Park.
The Transport Workers Union opposes the ban and has threatened legal action, arguing that the measure would take away licensed businesses and livelihoods.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theanimalreader.com
