Billie Eilish and Kaley Cuoco.Photo: Getty (2)
Over two dozen celebrities are taking a stand followingthe August viral video of a carriage horse collapsing in the middle of a New York City street.
On Wednesday, theAnimal Legal Defense Fundannounced that numerous celebrities had joined the animal advocacy organization in signing an open letter to the New York City Council to ban horse-drawn carriages within the city.
The letter notes, per a release, “The now-viral video of Ryder on a New York City street is heartbreaking, infuriating, and disturbing. Ryder, an elderly, emaciated horse, collapsed on 9th Avenue while pulling a carriage. The world bore witness as the carriage driver tried to force Ryder to his feet, while he could barely lift his head. The video is hard to watch for good reason — this is not the way animals should be treated.”
Among those who have signed the letter are musical teamBillie Eilishand her brotherFinneas, actorsKaley Cuoco,Christopher Walken,Rooney Mara,Joaquin Phoenix, and designerChristian Siriano.
Noah Cyrus,Whitney Cummings, Edie Falco,Ricky Gervais,Joan Jett,Riley Keough,Kesha,Kate Mara,Christian Serratos,Sarah Silverman,Sadie Sink,Hilary Swank,Justin Theroux,Marisa Tomei,Maggie Baird, and more stars also added their signature to Animal Legal Defense Fund letter.
According to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, in July, less than a month before Ryder’s fall was caught on camera, City Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens)introduced legislation — Intro 573— to prohibit the issuance of new licenses and replace the existing carriages with electric options.
“The electric carriages alternative provides a safe and responsible option for rides within Central Park and certain areas of Manhattan,” thepress releaseexplained about the legislation, which has been filed but not passed.
On August 10, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) responded to an incident of a carriage horse falling in the middle of a busy street near Ninth Avenue and 45th Street in Manhattan around 5 p.m., officers told PEOPLE in a statement at the time.
“Upon arrival, patrol officers observed a carriage horse lying in the middle of the roadway in distress,” the NYPD added.
NYCLASS, an organization committed to ending carriage horse abuse, called on politicians to take action following the incident.
“@NYCCouncil@NYCSpeakerAdams@NYCMayor- the world is watching. This horse may die, like many others. We must pass Intro 573 to end this abuse!@BobHoldenNYC,” the organizationwrote, sharing footage of officers hosing down Ryder.
PETAalsotweeted, “This horse COLLAPSED while pulling a carriage in NYC, likely from heat exhaustion, and has been down for over an hour. Horses don’t belong in big cities where they’re put in constant danger because of cars, humans, weather, and more.”
It lateraddedthat “Ryder is on the mend” alongside a video of the horse eating out of a woman’s hand.
On August 27, theGothamistreported that Ryder had retired to a private horse farm outside of the city following the viral incident.
source: people.com
