Chennai: Joyride business hit, horses left in state of starvation

CHENNAI: Until Covid-19 hit, Vetri, Alex and Santosh were the toast of the Marina, giving children joyrides almost every day. Now, with the city in lockdown, the beaches closed, and their owners reduced to a state of penury, the three horses are among more than 150, who are wasting away in a state of starvation.

Santosh’s cancer has advanced, and his owner does not have the means to treat him. Alex's hooves are so mangled he cannot stand, and Vetri is just skin and bones.

“I had to take a loan of Rs 35,000 just to feed my horses,” says 24-year-old G Rajkumar, who has been in the business for 11 years. “With no money coming in, it’s very difficult to feed the horses. The feed is around Rs 3,500 a day for the horses. I don’t even have that kind of money to feed my family,” he says.

A month ago, relief came from city-based animal welfare organization People For Animals. “When we heard about the horses in distress we’ve been organizing a once-a-week feed for them,” says Shiranee Pereira, who heads PFA.

The organization began by feeding 17 horses from Marina Beach, but word quickly spread among the horse owners in dire straits, and Pereira now feeds 143 horses from Marina, Kovalam and Mahabalipuram. “It works out to Rs 1.2 lakh a week to keep them alive,” says Pereira, who adds that she has had a little help from clubs and corporates, but is seeking more support to sustain the drive. A week’s feed for the 143 horses includes 25 bags of wheat bran and two tonnes of grass cut from her animal shelter in Red Hills.

“These horses are in a pathetic condition,” says Pereira. “We found them tethered under overbridges, some of them standing in piles of garbage. One of them we were told had died during the lockdown,” says Pereira, who has brought Alex, Santosh and Vetri to her shelter.

Pereira says she has enough only for another week. “Beyond that, even I am wondering where to turn,” says Pereira.