Victory! PETA Horse Rescue Program in Turkey Alleviates Widespread Animal Suffering
Corinna Schumacher-Sponsored Program Providing Sanctuary for Overworked and Neglected Horses Results in Ban on the Use of Animals to Haul Heavy Loads
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To earn a meager income in some extremely poverty-stricken areas of Turkey, villagers resort to forcing bone-thin, neglected horses to pull heavy carts in the searing heat. In August 2004, PETA implemented a first-of-its-kind pilot program in Antalya, Turkey, which was graciously sponsored by Corinna Schumacher, wife of Formula One Ferrari racing champion Michael Schumacher. Used pickup trucks were provided to participants in exchange for their horses and a legal pledge that they would never use working animals again. The program was designed to help alleviate animal suffering by getting working animals off the streets while providing villagers and their families with a humane and more effective means of generating income.
The rescued horses were extremely emaciated and dehydrated and suffered from untreated illness and injury. Two horses were in such poor condition that they did not respond to veterinary care and had to be euthanized. Once the agreement was signed by the participants and after the horse carts were destroyed (so that they couldnt be used on other horses), the trucks were handed over. The horses were then transported to a sanctuary, where they received proper nutrition for the first time in their lives, freedom from tethers, and the companionship of other horses. These animals will never be forced to work another day in their lives.
PETAs program brought much-needed attention, including extensive media coverage, to the suffering of working animals in the region. In February 2005, officials decided to enact a complete ban on the use of animals to haul loads within the Kepez municipality, a large area in Antalya with many working horses. This compassionate move will reduce suffering for countless malnourished and neglected animals who were forced to pull heavy carts carrying trash in the searing Mediterranean heat. We hope PETAs program and the subsequent ban on draft animals in Kepez will serve as a model for other areas to follow. Please e-mail the mayor and governor of Antalya to thank them for enacting a ban on working horses in Kepez and politely urge them to extend the ban to all of Antalya. Contact:
The Honorable Menderes TÜREL
Mayor of Antalya
ozelkalem@antalya.bel.tr
+90 242 241 01 46 (fax)
The Honorable Alaaddin YÜKSEL
Governor of Antalya
Antalya@antalya.gov.tr
Previously, in June 2004, PETA and other groups helped persuade Turkish officials to pass a much-needed comprehensive animal protection law. If enforced, the law will protect animals, including working animals, from neglect and abuse. Please write to the Turkish prime minister to thank him for approving the new animal protection law and to urge him to support strong enforcement to reduce animal suffering:
His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
Başbakanlık
Ankara, Turkey
Receptayyip.erdogan@basbakanlik.gov.tr
