Nearly 50 spiked bits fitted inside the mouths of horses to control them were seized from stables across the city during a 10-day drive carried out with the help of the police, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said on Tuesday.
Filed complaints
Displaying the seized spiked bits at Moti Nagar police station on Tuesday, PETA India said it had carried out an investigation, seized the spiked bits, replaced them with non-spiked ones and filed complaints against horse owners. “Spiked bits rip horses’ lips and tongues, causing extreme pain, bloody wounds, immense psychological trauma and lifelong damage,” said PETA India CEO and equine veterinarian Manilal Valliyate.
“We started the campaign during the wedding season since grooms-to-be ride horses to the marriage venue, ignorant of the pain caused to horses. Use of these spiked bits sees an upsurge during the wedding season, though they are also used on a daily basis,” said Nikunj Sharma, associate director of policy at PETA India.
Ban sale of spiked bits
The animal welfare organisation has urged the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animals Rules, 1965, to ban the manufacture, sale and storage of spiked bits.
