It was a shocking sight for those walking down a street in Colombia. A horse pulling a cart had to stop so she could give birth.
Passersby recorded the episode; others helped the mare and her newborn foal while others shouted at the horse owner for making a heavily pregnant horse work in this way.
It happened in the city of Popayán and the video footage was shared on YouTube where more than 50,000 people have viewed it.
Now thousands of people have called for the horse’s owner to be charged with animal cruelty.
The horse’s owner tried to explain to the angry crowd that he and his family were struggling financially and relied on the horse for their daily business.
But those in the crowd contacted local authorities to report the horse owner.
Óscar Ospina, Popayán’s health secretary, said the mare and her foal had been taken from his previous owner so she couldn’t be used for this type of exhausting work again, as reported by Mexico-based news site Cultura Colectiva.
Both the animal and her foal are currently under medical observation, the article added.
What do you think of this horse’s treatment and the reason her owner gave for treating her this way?
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