Mumbai News: Four Emaciated Horses Rescued Near Sewri Tracks After PETA Complaint; One Dies

The police have booked a horse owner after four of his horses were found to be kept in poor condition near railway tracks in Sewri after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s complaint. The police seized four horses and sent them to the civic cattle pound for veterinary care and safekeeping.

PETA India intervened after receiving a tip-off about a horse, suspected to be used for carriage rides, collapsing near the toll naka on the Bombay Port Trust Road under the Eastern Freeway in Sewri. The same horse was found tied near the railway tracks in the vicinity an hour later, hidden without access to shade, food, or water. Following PETA India’s complaint, officers from the Sewri police station visited the site and discovered four horses illegally kept adjacent to the railway tracks along the Bombay Port Trust Road. All of the horses were visibly emaciated, with protruding ribs and backbones, in failing health. Some were suffering from multiple wounds, and all were kept in dire condition. 

The Sewri police station registered a first information report (FIR) against the horses’ custodian under various sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. All four horses were transported to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) cattle pound in Malad for medical examination, veterinary care, and safekeeping pending a court decision on their interim custody. 

Tragically, just a day after their rescue, one horse succumbed to critical condition at the pound. A post-mortem was conducted by a government veterinarian upon police request. PETA India has filed a petition before the Bhoiwada court seeking interim custody of the surviving horses to ensure their continued care and protection. 

Saloni Sakaria, lead cruelty response coordinator at PETA India, said, "Keeping horses in unlicensed stables and makeshift places is illegal, and using them for rides is cruel, yet horses like these are forced to suffer injuries, malnourishment and being tied in filthy surroundings without adequate shelter. PETA India urges the Mumbai Police to act against any illegal use of horse carriages in the city and urges BMC to take swift action to prevent the keeping of horses in Mumbai in unlicensed stables.” 

In its complaint, PETA India highlighted that the Bombay High Court, in its June 2015 order, prohibited the use of horse-drawn Victoria carriages for rides within Mumbai and declared the keeping of horses in the city illegal, citing the absence of licensed stables. As a result, the Court directed BMC to shut down all such facilities and instructed the Mumbai Police to enforce the ban and take appropriate action against violators. 

In July 2017, the High Court accepted the rehabilitation plan submitted by the Maharashtra government for horse-drawn carriage owners and drivers, allowing horses to be removed from Mumbai roads and drivers to receive a payment and a vendor licence, thus ensuring their livelihood. PETA India sent a letter in May 2018 urging the then Chief Secretary of Maharashtra to implement this plan immediately by ensuring that the BMC receives the necessary funds approved by the state government. Numerous horse carriage drivers also gradually switched to heritage-style motorised e-carriages.

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