The Voicless Victims

Up until this past summer, I have never been to New York City and I could not have been more excited. Although it was what I expected it to be with the rush of people speed walking either in your direction or the opposite, it was such a different experience than what I live in my hometown. I did not think there would be one thing I did not enjoy about this weekend trip to New York City, but after one day, I found that not to be true. With all the entertainment they have on the streets, one thing I immediately noticed were the horses carrying carriages of families. Although these families looked amused at this form of “entertainment”, I only felt bad for these animals.

For decades, we have heard of the pollution in our environment due to cars, factories, etc. and now these poor, innocent animals were out of their safe environment and put deep into the city. We have all seen images of Madison Square Garden and the craziness of the traffic with taxis and cars everywhere in sight. Now imagine horses among this traffic. Not only are the being exposed to polluted air that can most likely be fatal to them, but they are also constantly in danger of getting hit by a car or in an accident. Many accidents have occurred up to today. The city is not a place where I believe these animals belong in. They are meant to be on farms, somewhere safe that they can be healthy instead of being used as a ways of transportation. About a year ago, a horse named Charlie suddenly dropped dead on the streets of New York City. We are now in the twenty-first century; there is no need to put these horses through such physical pain especially in the city.

Animals are living creatures that should be respected and given rights for their safety. To put them in such danger is what I find cruel and wrong. Every time I saw them that weekend, I only felt pity instead of amusement. In conclusion, I am not a huge animal person, but I do believe that these animals should have rights for their own benefit, not for the benefit of their owners to use them as a means of profit.