| Karozzin horses get their shelter After years of campaigning, protests and letters from Animal Rights Malta and other animal protection organisations, the Karozzin horses opposite the President's Palace in Valletta got a permit for a shelter. A temporary shelter for karozzini horses was set up at Palace Square in Valletta on Wednesday 24th August, while work on a more permanent canopy will start on Monday 29th.. "We will make use of the temporary shelter while work on the canopy is carried out," one cab driver said. The Malta Environment and Planning Authority approved an application filed by the Malta Transport Authority for the erection of the lightweight canopy on June 28. Yet, two months on, work had not yet started. Speaking to The Times one driver insisted that shelters for the horses were desperately needed. He said horses had been known to collapse due to the heat. Asked whether they were satisfied with the temporary shelter, the drivers yesterday did not seem too sure. "There is only enough space for four karozzini, and there are six here," one driver said. He said the cab drivers hoped that cars would not park under the shelter, leaving the horses in the scorching sun. "If we put the horses somewhere else, out of the direct sunlight, we get fined," he complained. The drivers said work on the lightweight canopy should take around 15 days to be completed. As reported in The Times of July 5, 2005, sources in the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environement said that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority has approved the erection a lightweight canopy to provide shade for horses opposite the President's Palace in St George's Square, Valletta. The permit was granted on June 28 after an application was filed by the Malta Transport Authority. Horse-driven cabs (karrozzini) are assembled at the square as their owners line up for custom. Animal lovers and welfare groups have long demanded that something be done to protect the horses from the scorching summer sun. The sources said there were another four pending applications for such structures in other zones before Mepa. On July 4, 2005, opposition leader Alfred Sant gave notice of a private member's motion in Parliament proposing: "That despite any other legal provisions, the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment is authorised to immediately order the building of temporary shelters for karozzini horses so that they may be protected from the sun during the summer or until the high temperatures persist." While this may be considered as a victory to all those who campaign for animal rights, we still await legislation controlling working conditions and hours of Karozzin horses, as well as the provision of running water at designated areas. These are proposals which have been submitted by the Sub-committee on horses to the Animal Welfare Council together with draft regulations to be enshrined in Maltese law. Animal Rights Malta would like to thank all individuals and organisations who never gave up, and attended protests and wrote letters to put pressure on the Government so that the horses may get the protection they deserve. |
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