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Frail, abandoned horse rescued, provided shelter

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, May 2 - A frail and injured horse abandoned by its owners after it ceased to be of profitable use for them, was �rescued� and treated at a vet clinic, thanks to a couple of young animal lovers of the city.

The plight of the unfortunate horse, however, exemplifies the cruelty meted out to these beasts of burden which toil hard for their owners only to be left in the lurch when they are no longer able to endure the routine drudgery they are subjected to.

The fact that the city does not yet have shelter homes for animals like horses is compounding the suffering of the animals.

�The horse was in a pitiable condition and was rummaging at a roadside waste dump near the FCI godown, Noonmati. It was apparent that the animal had been abandoned by its owner. It looked emaciated and had trouble in walking,� wildlife activist Nandini Baruva of Purrpaws Foundation said.

Nandini together with her friend Divija Rajkhowa and members of New Guwahati Youth Club, managed to provide temporary shelter to the animal for a night before shifting it to a clinic at Khanapara.

�We have shelters and care centres for animals like dogs and cats � and also for cattle � but none for horses. Given that many horses are thrown out by their owners once they become old and infirm, these animals meet with a painful and tragic end. Civil society, too, ought to wake up to the disturbing situation and intervene, especially in the matter of ending cruelty to animals� Nandini said, stressing the need for a proper shelter home for horses.

A vet attending to the horse said that the animal was having an old fracture which had healed up, causing malunion of the fractured bone on the hind leg. It was a complicated case and a recovery was difficult.

Animal lovers have also called upon NGOs engaged in animal welfare to spare some thought for having shelter homes for animals like horses. �There are bound to be such animals in large numbers. We need a shelter home for them that conforms to all the required norms. Also, the authorities concerned should initiate punitive action on the insensitive owners under provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,� Nandini said.

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