MADRID (Reuters) -One horse died and a second collapsed while pulling passenger carriages through Seville during a record heatwave in the southern Spanish city, video footage showed, triggering an animal abuse investigation.
Bystanders tried to revive the animal that died with water after it expired on Wednesday next to a busy road, a video posted on Instagram by a member of bird welfare group Rescate de Aves showed.
The owner of the two-horse carriage, who has not been named, is being investigated for possible animal abuse, local police said in a statement.
They said the mare showed symptoms of a fever from a prior illness that was aggravated by dehydration.
Rescate de Aves coordinator Carlos Moreno said: “The drivers got hold of another horse and carried on with the ride in front of police who, although there was a complaint, made no move to confiscate their licence.”
The second horse pulling the carriage had also showed signs of dehydration but was made to continue working, he added.
His colleague said the carriage appeared to be carrying revellers attending the city’s annual fair, which last year attracted an estimated 500,000. Horse-drawn tourist carriages are a common sight in the city.
Seville’s city hall said in a statement its animal protection service would step up checks on the wellbeing of horses and urged owners to give animals rest and water.
Temperatures in Seville – part of Spain’s hottest region – were expected to hit 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday.
Seville’s association of horse carriage operators did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, another horse collapsed, according to a video posted on Twitter on Thursday by PACMA, a political party that campaigns for animal rights. Reuters could not immediately independently verify the footage.
Spain’s state weather agency AEMET said this was likely to be the hottest April on the Iberian Peninsula since records began. It expects the hot weather to peak on Thursday and Friday at around 40C.
(Reporting by Charlie Devereux and Aislinn Laing, writing by John Stonestreet and David Latona, editing by Alexandra Hudson)
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