Help Stop Horse Abuse in Israel

CHAI's 10-year campaign to ban the use of horse-drawn carts on the streets of Tel Aviv achieved success in November 2009, when the city finally announced that it had banned the practice. However, the ban was not enforced, and in Tel Aviv cart horses are back at work on the streets. Now CHAI and Hakol Chai are working again to end this practice.

We must work to ban this practice throughout Israel and to be certain that the bans are enforced. Please write to the Chairperson of the Education, Culture, and Sports Committee in the Knesset, to the Minister of Education, Culture, and Sports, and to the Minister of Transportation, asking them to ban the use of horse-drawn carts to haul heavy loads in all cities in Israel and to enforce the ban.

Years ago, CHAI and Hakol Chai promoted the passage of regulations to protect horses and donkeys used to haul heavy loads, believing that requiring annual applications and fees to hold these animals, along with annual inspections by equine veterinarians, would solve the problem. Tel Aviv had such regulations, but time showed that regulations are not enforced, and that only a complete ban would be effective.

At a Tel Aviv City Council meeting to address the problem of abused working animals, held at Hakol Chai's request, the city's own municipal veterinarian supported a ban, saying the city lacks the staff, financial resources, and facilities to monitor the condition of these animals, investigate reports of abuse, and seize, house and care for those abused for any length of time. Even when abused horses are seized, they are usually returned to their abusers the very next day.

Only a complete ban on horse-drawn carts in cities will prevent these animals from being abused.

Please take action — write to the following, requesting that cities throughout Israel follow Tel Aviv's example:

Chairperson of the Knesset Education, Culture, and Sports Committee
The Knesset
Kiryat Ben-Gurion
Jerusalem 91950, Israel
Email: V2@knesset.gov.il
For a list of all Committee members, see Education, Culture, and Sports Committee Members.

Minister of Education, Culture, and Sport
34 Shivtei Israel St.
Jerusalem 91911, Israel
Fax: 972-2-5602246
Email: sar@education.gov.il; lishka@education.gov.il

Minister of Transportation
The Knesset
Kiryat Ben-Gurion
Jerusalem 91950, Israel

Fax: 972-2-6663005

Email: sar@mot.gov.il