NEW DELHI: The plight of ailing horses in Matheran recently made Randeep Hooda jet off to the hill station, where these animals are subjected to ill treatment.
Here, the horses are used as tourist attraction as well as to carry goods to nearby villages and cater to hotels. Even the ones blind by one eye or badly wounded because of the rough saddles are rest-deprived.
The owners complain that they do not have any help or assistance from the local bodies, which include Municipality, Forest Department, Police etc. In fact, though cars are not allowed within the premises, the area has turned into a parking lot and as a result, horses hardly have place to roam around freely.
Matheran, with time, could lose out on its natural beauty too, as the Forest Department, does not allow the horse owners to set up a tarpaulin to prevent the rains from wetting the animals, citing environmental issues, but on the other hand, land is being given to hotel projects.
The 39-year-old Bollywood hunk told ANI that through this genuine “voice” he wants to circulate this news so that the government would enable certain laws and train the people there to preserve everything and give a holistic approach towards the horses.
Animal Activist Roxanne Davur was also there to address the prevailing conditions of horses and the ongoing problems with the local bodies.
ANI