Much to the relief of animal lovers, the treatment of an ill and destitute horse, aged around two years, has been initiated in Rangpur.
With its front hoof left broken, the white horse was left to struggle and starve for a long time at the city’s Modern Morh (intersection), according to its rescuers.
Sadar upazila livestock office and Vet Care Rangpur, a local pet shop, jointly took the measures for the treatment of the horse, confirmed Rangpur Zoo official HM Shahadat Shahin, who played a key role in the rescue mission.
Animal rights activist Muntasir Sajib and his organization “Rangpur Animal Rescue Network (Raran)’’ also helped in this regard, Shahin added.
The horse is now being treated on the premises of physician Rabbee Nur’s house in Rangpur city.
“When we rescued the horse on Monday, it was not even able to stand. Upon being administered painkillers and liquid saline, the horse managed to stand up and move on,” said Shahin.
Sheltering such ill and stray animals is always an uphill task, he said, adding: “Medication is a continued process. And once an affected stray animal disappears, it becomes very tough to track it down and ensure its proper treatment.”
Expressing similar sentiments, Muntasir said: “We’ve been working as a unit since early 2023 to rescue such stray animals and facilitate treatment for them.
“But this is the first time we managed to help a horse receive treatment and get temporarily sheltered,” he added.
The rescued horse, Muntasir said, had been at the Modern Morh for several weeks.
Dhaka saw such a rescue of a stray horse near Hatirjheel in August 2019.
With almost no access to food, the five-year-old horse was counting its last days.
After failing to find its owner, the rescuers suspected that the horse might have been used for pulling carts, and it was abandoned after falling ill. The owner might have done so to avoid veterinary expenses, some of them told the media at that time.
Horses, both stray and commercially used, are massively mistreated in the country.
Dozens of horses are engaged to pull carriages in the capital city alone. Of them, 50 are seen on the Gulistan-Sadarghat route. Most of them are heavily uncared for.
Scores of horses are on the Cox's Bazar beaches to entertain tourists. Many of those, too, are malnourished.
Between the beginning of the Covid pandemic and mid-2021, at least 26 horses died in the tourist city, thanks to the sheer negligence of their owners.
Three environmental and animal rights organisations on May 31, 2021 sent a legal notice addressing the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry, the Department of Environment and 11 others over the horse deaths in Cox's Bazar.
