Photo: NBC News/YouTube
Ryder, the New York City carriage horsewho went viral in Augustafter collapsing during an incident caught on video, has died, PEOPLE confirms. The animal was euthanized at the private residence he’d been relocated to following the dramatic event, a rep for the local Transit Workers Union shared.
According to theNew York Times,Ryder had been steadily losing weight, ultimately collapsing and suffering a seizure before his euthanization. A necropsy is underway.
The video renewed callsfor an end to the carriage ride practice in New York’s Central Parkand other large cities, with celebrities likeBillie EilishandKaley Cuocosigning an open letter through theAnimal Legal Defense Fundstating in part, “this is not the way animals should be treated.”
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Ryder was eventually moved to an upstate New York farm,according to theNew York Post,though questions continued to swirl about his treatment at the property, up until his death this week, both thePostandAM New Yorkreported.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is continuing his investigation into the animal’s care during his time in N.Y.C., while the city Health Department charged the carriage driver’s brother, Colm McKeever, for allegedly changing Ryder’s age from 26 to 13 on veterinary records, thePostsaid.
A vigil is planned for the animal in New York City on Tuesday, at the site of his August collapse, as activists continue to ask the New York City Council to passIntro 573, a bill proposing the city prohibit the issuance of new horse-drawn carriage licenses and replace the existing carriages with electric alternatives.
“The horse deserved to spend his days in a pasture, not on pavement,“PETAdirector Ashley Byrne told PEOPLE on Oct. 18. “PETA is calling on the New York City council to pass Int 0573 to get suffering horses replaced with modern electric carriages before history repeats itself.”
source: people.com
