In a glaring example of man’s apathy towards animals, two horses given up as dead turned out to be alive after a fortnight in Srinagar Wednesday.
People in the uptown Rawalpora area of the city Wednesday called the helpline telephone numbers set up by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) during the recent windstorm, complaining about the carcasses of two horses lying in the local swamp for the last fortnight.
The complainants wanted the bodies of the animals to be removed to prevent foul smell and stench in the area.
“When the SMC officials reached there, they found that the horses were still breathing. I immediately deputed veterinarians who found the animals emaciated, but alive,” said Dr. Farooq Ahmad Kaloo, director of the animal husbandry department.
“We are now reviving the animals and after that, they would be shifted to the local animal ponds in the city. The two horses were stuck in the Rawalpora swamp without food and water for the last 15 days. They also survived the fierce windstorm and dusty weather for the last two days. It is an example of survival under extremes of environment and despite starvation,” Kaloo told IANS.
Kaloo is personally supervising the rehabilitation of the rescued horses.