NYCLASS and Other Animal Rights Activists Protest to Mark One Year Since Mysterious Carriage Horse Disappearance

"We urge the administration to follow through with their commitment to build full service animal shelters in the Bronx and Queens. A first rate city like NYC deserves a first rate animal shelter system. Animals in every borough deserve a safe haven, and residents of every borough need an accessible place to go and adopt them."

-Chelsie Schadt, Lead Organizer, NYCLASS

What: Dozens of animal rights advocates, Jane Velez-Mitchell, The Humane Society of the United States, PETA, Friends of Animals and NYCLASS will protest on the steps of City Hall to call for an investigation into the mysterious death of Tickles the carriage horse. Martha Stewart has also called for an investigation into the fatal injury that occurred in February. (See http://nydn.us/1aLE05M)

Despite claims from the carriage industry that their horse stalls are safe, new FOIL documents NYCLASS has obtained suggest that the horse was injured in his stall before being euthanized by a carriage industry veterinarian. With the horse's owner not providing any further information on the nature of the injury or steps taken to care for the horse, NYCLASS is calling for the Department of Health to launch a formal investigation into the matter.

Where: Steps of City Hall

When: Today, April 2nd at 1:00 pm

"We commend Mayor de Blasio for standing up against the "pandemonium" over the Central Park Zoo. Pandas are complex animals who, as breeding pairs, require over 10 square miles of forested space in the wild. They don't belong in a cramped enclosure in the middle of the biggest, most chaotic city in the country.

Pandas cost over a million dollars a year to keep, a commitment that New York's zoos aren't interested in shouldering. At zoos, pandas live in unnaturally small habitats for the amusement of guests under the guise of conservation, even though hundreds of pandas are kept captive despite lack of room and resources, and few have been successfully introduced to the wild."

"The restaurant and bar smoking ban was also unpopular at the time. People were up in hysterics, claiming that no one would ever socialize in public again. But 10 years later, it's considered one of the most successful public health initiatives in our city's history, while the bar and restaurant industry continues to thrive. When the carriage horses are off the streets, we'll look back at the absurdity of having animals pulling rickety 18th century carts in the middle of Manhattan traffic and say "What were people thinking?"

In response to the New York City Council passing Intros 55A, 73A, 136A and 146A, NYCLASS released the following statement:

"This legislation is a step towards ending the puppy mill pipeline to New York City. This will protect dogs and cats, ensure that pet owners aren't unwittingly supporting unscrupulous breeders and help alleviate the overcrowding in city animal shelters. The thousands of NYCLASS supporters around the city thank the City Council for their leadership on this important issue." 

What: In support of Mayor de Blasio's plan to ban horse carriages and create jobs, NYCLASS members will join Council Members Danny Dromm and Ydanis Rodriguez for a rally at City Hall. Allie Feldman, Executive Director of NYCLASS said: "This is the right creative solution that benefits all New Yorkers by adding jobs while also ending an unsafe and inhumane industry."

Where: Steps of City Hall

When: Today, Tuesday, December 2nd at 1:00 PM

"This is the right creative solution that benefits all New Yorkers by adding jobs while also ending an unsafe and inhumane industry." -NYCLASS