Horse pulling tourist carriage dies in Central Park, reigniting calls to ban the industry

A horse pulling a tourist carriage in New York's Central Park suddenly collapsed and died, reigniting calls for a ban on the industry.

On May 9th, at approximately 7:21 PM, a 16-year-old male horse named Deniz collapsed and died about 10 minutes later while pulling a carriage with two passengers near West Drive and 72nd Street in Central Park, according to CBS News and ABC7. The passengers were unharmed.

Nurettin Kirbiyik, the horse's owner and driver, expressed his grief, stating, "I feel like I lost a family member." He added, "We were together almost every day for 10 years. He was a gentle horse to children, and everyone wanted to take pictures of him." Kirbiyik also revealed that Deniz had passed a veterinary examination in March and showed no issues with eating or drinking on the day of the accident.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed that there were no criminal charges and that an investigation is ongoing.

A witness described the scene, saying, "I saw the horse collapse on the ground, gasping for breath. A few seconds later, it stopped breathing."

Deniz's death is seen as part of a series of recent carriage accidents in New York. On April 26th, two carriages collided near 60th Street in Central Park, resulting in two drivers being taken to the hospital.

Animal rights groups argue that Deniz's death highlights the systemic problems within the urban carriage industry. Organizations such as NYCLASS and PETA are urging the New York City Council to pass the 'Ryder Law'.

The Ryder Law, named after a horse named Ryder who collapsed on a Manhattan street in the summer of 2022 and was euthanized months later, proposes a phased ban on horse-drawn carriage operations in New York City and the retraining of drivers for other professions. Council Member Christopher Marte reintroduced the bill to the City Council the day after Deniz's death.

Marte stated, "A horse died within 10 minutes of collapsing. This is not an accident." He added, "Almost every other week, a horse dies, collapses, bolts, or a driver gets injured."

However, the carriage industry is pushing back against these calls. The carriage union asserts that claims of horses being overworked are untrue, stating that they mostly move slowly within the park.

Since Chicago became the first major U.S. city to ban horse-drawn carriages in 2021, discussions about a similar ban have continued in New York. However, the bill has not passed due to industry opposition.