Polish animal rights group buys horses ‘destined for slaughterhouse’
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
06.03.2017 15:02
Animal rights activists have purchased horses at a fair in central Poland, fearing they were destined for the slaughterhouse.
Horses at the fair in Skaryszew, Poland. Photo: Twitter.com/@nataliazyto.
The activists have also criticised treatment of animals at the fair.
According to media reports, activists could purchase some 150 horses at the two-day show using money collected in fundraising campaigns.
The Centaurus foundation, an animal rights group, purchased some of the cheaper horses for PLN 8,000-9,000 (EUR 1,850-2,010) each. It claims the horses would otherwise have been sold to buyers from countries such as Italy, where horse meat is a delicacy.
Activists also said that some of the animals, which were brought to the fair and reportedly sold at night, are being mistreated, claiming that in some cases transport was substandard and no shelter from poor weather was available to the horses.
But according to county veterinarian Grzegorz Zaborski, while local vets had a lot of work overnight with several infringements found, the remaining show participants were “fairly well prepared”.
The annual show, which dates back to the 17th century, was in its heyday Europe’s largest horse fair. According to estimates, some 10-15,000 people may visit the event. (vb/pk)
Source: IAR, Polskie Radio