New Orleans protesters want to ban mule-drawn carriage rides
(CBS) NEW ORLEANS- Mule-drawn carriages are a common tourist attraction carrying visitors around New Orleans - but not for much longer if a group of protesters get their way.
On Saturday afternoon, a half-dozen animal rights activists showed up where the mule carriages pick up passengers at Jackson Square, call for a ban on the rides, CBS affiliate WWL-TV reported.
"The mules are worked really hard," said Evlin Lake, who was leading the protest. Lake started an online petition, which now has 1,000 signatures, asking the city to ban the mule-drawn carriages.
"A lot of people don't want the ban because they think it's culture, they think that it's beautiful, they think that carriage rides are romantic, but animal cruelty is not romantic," Lake said.
The protest comes several weeks after a horse pulling a carriage died on Bourbon Street. Its owner is under investigation for operating without a license. Owners of some of the carriage companies said that incident has nothing to do with their industry, which is regulated by the city.
"The Morial administration spend exorbitant amounts of money to have the Humane Society come down here and investigate our industry, the mule industry," said Alex Mata, of Good Old Days Carriage Co. "There's never been a mule die in all these years, from pulling a carriage when they're on duty," he told WWL-TV.
The city contracts with the Louisiana SPCA to monitor the health of the mules, including their veterinary care and vaccinations, the station reported.
"We work directly with the carriage companies and they take great care of their mules," said Katherine LeBlanc of the Louisiana SPCA. "You have to remember that these mules are the livelihood for the carriage drivers, so they're going to take care of them and make sure they're receiving the best care possible."
Since 1980, New Orleans has banned the use of horse-drawn carriages, opting instead to allow the use of mules. The mules were deemed better able to handle the work load and summer heat.