A Tartana Horse dies in the street, having collapsed in Juan Rejón street, La Isleta. @PoliciaLPA
A horse working with the tartana tourist traps in the capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, collapsed this Monday morning, May 14, in Calle Juan Rejón street, near to the Plaza Manuel Becerra .
The incident has forced the temporary closure to traffic of the road. Policia Local agents of the port district went to assist the driver and the animal, named Tristón, who, it is reported, received urgent attention until his death was confirmed.
The Local Police have warned that the road will remain closed in along this section of Juan rejón until the unfortunate creature has been removed from the road.
The Tartanas, and the horses that draw them, are operated as a tourist attraction under strict safety regulations, and the welfare of these working animals is supposed to be monitored closely to ensure they are treated well and in good health. It is a rarity for a horse to simply collapse without warning, and so it must be incumbent on the operator and the local town hall to investigate and satisfy themselves of the circumstances surrounding this incident.
Animal activists have long raised concerns about such activities, not just in Las Palmas but in various major cities around the world, suggesting that this is simply a cruel and outmoded form of transport, unnecessary in the modern age, though the general sentiment from the local government seems to be that so long as the animal is properly cared for, then there should be no barrier to continuing to allow horse drawn carriage operators to continue their trade.
