Salzburg: Fiaker driver torments horse with chili paste | VGT
Report of animal cruelty against Fiaker drivers
Vienna (OTS) – In September 2022, it was documented how a Fiaker driver smeared AKS paste into the mouth of a Haflinger mare (to the VIDEO). According to the instructions for use, this paste must never be used on animals, but only on objects, as it contains chilli extract, which, according to the manufacturer and veterinarians, causes burning and long-lasting pain if animals come into contact with it through misuse.
Horse lady Grace, whose name can be found again and again at the stand from insults by the Fiaker driver, is one of the numerous Salzburg Fiaker horses that have to pull tourists through the old town for their amusement and for which the VEREIN GEGEN TIERFABRIKEN has been campaigning since 2018.
Not only that Grace had to be on duty for 16 days within 24 days in July 2022 and therefore her statutory rest days have been withdrawn. The video from September 2022, sent anonymously to VGT, shows how a Fiaker driver first spread the sharp AKS paste on the harness and then smeared it into the mouth of a horse lady Grace, who was still trying to turn her head away. The VGT has issued a complaint of animal cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act.
According to the instructions, the so-called AKS paste with the ingredient Capsicum, a hot chilli extract, may only be applied to objects and is intended to protect horses from ingesting foreign bodies such as chips and fibers by swallowing or biting them. In addition, the middle oral behavioral disorders of the horse, which are caused by boredom or stress, among other things, should be counteracted. Such behavioral disorders can often be observed in Fiaker horses, as the VGT has documented several times.
VGT election campaigner Georg Prinz: “Rubbing carriage components with the chili paste is merely symptomatic treatment, as the horses chew on it out of sheer boredom and frustration. If you smear chili on it, the animals are only deprived of the valve for venting, the problems for the animals remain, of course. Even when used according to the package description, this paste is not a suitable remedy, the animals need a species-appropriate environment and do not want to stand around in carriages all day. This case shows once again more than clearly that Fiaker horses are not protected in the current system and may not be further exposed to the prevailing conditions!
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Prof. Dr. Rudolf Winkelmayer, veterinarian and former official veterinarian: “When used properly, AKS-Paste protects the horse from ingestion by swallowing or biting off parts of material by rubbing these parts with it. Under no circumstances should the horse’s body parts be rubbed with it, because since AKS paste also contains capsaicin, this can lead to long-lasting pain (similar to burn pain).
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Georg Prinz concludes: “The horses suffer enough in the city. The fact that the chilli paste/AKS paste causes additional pain to the horses is pure animal cruelty. This must not be accepted and must immediately lead to consequences! The Fiaker in charge must have his license revoked immediately. The magistrate can no longer look the other way, but must finally intervene. An extension of the contracts should no longer be an option.
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The VGT demands that the contract between the city and the fiakers is not extended in May 2023.
the petition “Horses Out of Town” more than 22,000 people have already signed: www.vgt.at/fiaker-salzburg
press photos Copyright: VGT.at
Questions & contact:
VGT – Association against animal factories
George Prince
0660 4180757
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