The MSPCA is proposing a golden handshake to horse cabby drivers to relinquish their licence.

In a statement it said that one of the unnoticed effects of the pandemic was the withdrawal of karozzini from our streets.

“The total absence of tourism resulted in a complete stop to this business. Even with the re-opening of tourism these past few weeks, we are not seeing the same number of karozzini on the streets as before”MSPCA said.

“MSPCA believes that tourism is not projected to get back to normal in the short term, leaving cabby drivers struggling to earn enough income to cover the necessary expenses to properly support all horses,” it said.

Covid-19 allowances are certainly are not enough to maintain the livelihood of the drivers and their families and the wellbeing of the horses, MSPCA said.

It went on to say tha at the time of writing, Transport Malta has 111 horse-driven carriages registered which is a high number for a small island. “We are concerned about what the future looks like for these horses if cabby drivers don’t have enough work to maintain them.”Althea Galea, MSPCA Animal Rights Manager said that “MSPCA is proposing that the government introduces a financial measure providing half the cabby drivers with the opportunity to a “golden handshake” to relinquish their licence and start a new trade or business.”

Galea explained that this would mean that after the measure there would remain only 55 (or less) licenced cabby drivers.

“Cabby drivers that relinquish their licence should also be given the opportunity to give back their horse or horses to Animal Welfare that should keep these horses in a state funded sanctuary. These horses should not be killed,” MSPCA said.

Israel was the first country to ban horse-drawn vehicles, followed by a lot of cities in America. Ideally, we should follow this example too. “Unfortunately, we believe that if horse-carriage were banned, most horses would end up homeless or worse put to sleep,” it said.

MSPCA concluded by saying that “this is why we believe that Animal Welfare should invest in the setting up and run a horse sanctuary and also support existing horse sanctuaries to host and take care of these horses with immediate effect.”

Photos: MSPCA

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