'Silent killer': NYC carriage horse Lady's cause of death revealed
Rally held in response to death of carriage horse
Animal advocates and local leaders will hold a rally after a carriage horse collapsed and died in Manhattan yesterday. FOX 5 NY's Stephanie Bertini has the details.
NEW YORK CITY - A preliminary examination of carriage horse Lady, who collapsed and died earlier this week, found she had a small tumor that likely caused an aortic rupture, according to a statement from the Transport Workers Union of America.
Carriage horse Lady's necropsy
What we know:
A necropsy performed on Wednesday by a pathologist at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine determined the tumor in Lady's adrenal gland caused the rupture and sudden death, which typically comes without warning symptoms.
The backstory:
A 15-year-old carriage horse named Lady collapsed and died in Hell's Kitchen on August 5th. Lady was heading back to Clinton Park Stables in Hell's Kitchen when she collapsed.
A video of Lady, lying down at the intersection, circulated online and caused an outcry from animal rights advocates.
Horses there are seen by a veterinarian twice a year and rotated based on vacations, reported FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt.
Horse carriage driver and spokesperson for the industry Christina Hansen told FOX 5 NY's Stephanie Bertini, "Our horses are better protected than people's pet horses and show horses… Lady did not die because she was a carriage horse, she died because she was a living being."
TWU Local 100, who represents hundreds of Central Park horse carriages, says they are mourning the tragic and sad loss, but at least now there are some answers.
"The reality is that this sudden-death medical episode would kill a horse anywhere – in a field, park, stable, trail, or street – at any time."
The other side:
"This heartbreaking, senseless incident is yet another glaring example of why horses do not belong on busy city streets," said John Goodwin, senior managing director at Humane World for Animals, in a statement to FOX 5 NY, after Lady's death.
Animal welfare groups such as NYCLASS and PETA held an emergency rally on Wednesday to demand lawmakers advance Ryder's bill, which would prohibit the issuance of new licenses for horse carriages in New York City.
"This is systemic abuse and political corruption," said Edita Birnkrant, Executive Director of NYCLASS. "Lady is dead because our City government refuses to act."
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The Source: This article uses a statement from TWU Local 100, statements and social media posts by animal rights groups and reporting by FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt and Stephanie Bertini.