LONDON: Ireland's animal rights activists have renewed their demands for the government to ban horse racing in the country after five horses were killed during the Leopardstown Christmas festival last month. The Alliance for Animal Rights has called on the government to end the multi-million dollar industry as a result of the fatalities. Their call has been received by activists, who say the inhumane practice has left too many animals dead as a result. “How many more animals must be killed before people start to end this practice,” activist Mary Elizabeth from Dublin told Bikyamasr.com. “We are a developed country and we don't need to continue this action that results in the death of living beings.” The Leopardstown festival is one of the largest in the country, but the deaths of the horses have left activists questioning the idea of horse racing altogether. A spokeswoman for the Alliance for Animal Rights outlined their opposition to racing in an interview with the Irish Independent newspaper. “In Sligo two years ago, a horse collision at Cullenamore Races resulted in a horse having to be put down and two jockeys rushed to hospital. The collision occurred in front of hundreds of spectators,” said the spokeswoman. “Laytown is remembered for the pile-up of horses in the 1990s when three horses were killed. “While these fatalities are described as ‘freakish', ‘sad' and ‘regrettable', the number of injuries and deaths is rising because horses are raced and made jump. “We are calling on the Sports and Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar to instigate an investigation into horseracing accidents. “We want an end to this animal violation based on the vast cruelty that is inherent in horse racing.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/GmQKh Tags: Animal Abuse, Horse Racing, Ireland Section: Animals, Europe, Latest News
