Animal pounds to be established to house stray horses and cattle abandoned in Ooty town

meeting discusses steps to protect cattle in ooty

In the run up to the upcoming tourist season, a recent meeting between the Nilgiris Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) and the Collector led to discussions on how best to regulate and ensure the safety and well-being of horses used to offer tourist rides.

During the meeting, it was decided that animal pounds are to be constructed in Khandal in Udhagamandalam to shelter stray cattle and horses that are abandoned after the tourist season and left to roam on the town’s roads.

Officials stated that horse rides for tourists are offered around the Ooty Lake and Boat House, The Golf Links Road and around Ninth Mile Shooting Spot. Animal rights activists have for years called for stricter regulations around the horse rides, noting that the animals are often mistreated and abandoned following the end of the tourist season.

A meeting was held with members of the NSPCA and Collector S.P. Amrith recently. During the meeting, it was decided that a resolution would be passed and that a suitable location for the animal pound would be found. The pound would be handed over to the NSPCA after it is established.

Similar animal pounds are also to be established in Coonoor, Gudalur and Nelliyalam with suitable land to be identified by the municipalities.

In order to ensure the safety and well-being of the horses used to give tourists horse rides, the NSPCA also urged the district administration to establish permanent stables for the horses to be housed.

They also wanted stricter rules to be enforced that only one person should be allowed to ride on a horse at a time. The NSPCA also wanted horse owners to declare whether they had any stables where their animals could be sheltered and submit the details to the municipality.