Everyone once in a while you come across a story that really makes you raise your eyebrows in surprise. You know the sort: those that make you ask out loud, “Why would anyone do that?”
Well, we’ve found another one, this time involving a school in Brazil where teachers tasked students with painting a horse instead of canvases.
The incident took place two years ago, starting out as what organizers thought was a harmless activity for school children at summer camp. What they couldn’t have expected was the backlash that would ensure, nor the fierce debate online.
According to La Vanguardia, teachers proposed for children to paint one of the horses at the Riding School of the Equestrian Society in Brazil.
Needless to say, the poor animal ended up with paint all over its face and body. It couldn’t have understood what was happening or why.
The incident was soon brought to the attention of the NGO Order of Lawyers of Brazil (OAB), which shared the photo of the animal on their social networks. Ana Paula Vasconcelos, member of the NGO, told newspaper O Globo:
“They had the brilliant idea of placing the horse as a painting canvas, saying it would be a pedagogical activity. They said it was a rescued horse, but that does not justify the cruelty,”
Debate ensues
The riding school’s head of communication, Muriell Marques, defended the decision to allow the children to paint the horse, stating:
“The horse was calm, it was not stressed.”
The backlash on social media was, of course, significant. People were appalled by the obvious act of cruelty, with many commenters arguing that a horse is not a toy.
Others failed to grasp the magnitude of the incident, though we can’t begin to imagine how one can explain away such a foolish move.
We’re just thankful the horse wasn’t harmed in any way, and we hope the debates led to something positive.
Share this article on Facebook if you, like us, think that treating any animal like a toy is completely unacceptable.
