Chicago joins other cities that have bans on horse-drawn carriages, including Salt Lake City; Biloxi, Mississippi; Camden, New Jersey; and several cities in Florida.
ABDEL JIMENEZ: Horse-drawn carriages in Chicago will be a thing of the past after City Council voted 46-4 Friday to ban them by the end of the year. For years, animal rights activists and some aldermen have tried to ban horse-drawn carriages, citing traffic congestion downtown, multiple citations from the city and animal welfare concerns. The carriages are often stationed at Chicago Water Tower and other points around the city, and take tourists on rides around the Loop, Millennium Park, and Buckingham Fountain…
Jodie Wiederkehr, who leads the Chicago Alliance for Animals, has been documenting alleged mistreatment of the horses for several years and has kept the issue of horse safety in front of aldermen. “For two years, we have relayed information to aldermen and the mayor about how they (operators) overwork horses and violate laws intended to protect public safety. These horse operators refuse to self-regulate. … The city doesn’t have time to babysit this trade,” Wiederkehr said… Chicago joins other cities that have bans on horse-drawn carriages, including Salt Lake City; Biloxi, Mississippi; Camden, New Jersey; and several cities in Florida. SOURCE…
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