The International Organization for the Protection of Animals returns to attack the event after the injury of two horses during the Palio dell’Assunta 2023
Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the Palio dell’Assunta 2023 which saw the Contrada dell’Oca triumph thanks to the shaken horse Uncle Tailcoatthe animal rights activists of the International Organization for the Protection of Animals have returned to the attack of the historic Sienese demonstration following theinjury of two horsesAbbasantesa and Antine Day.
the Oipa at the attack of the Palio
—
The association released a note today to condemn what happened yesterday and invite all animal lovers to make themselves heard ask for the stop of the event: “The Palio di Siena is confirmed as a dangerous event, which jeopardizes the lives of horses and offends the sensibilities of those who love and respect animals”.
“The track continues to put the safety of the animals and the jockeys at risk”, declared the president of Oipa Massimo Comparottorecalling on the occasion what happened in 2018 in Siena and only a few days ago in Ascoli Piceno: “In 2018 the competition caused the death of Raol, the horse symbol of the victims of the Palio, and only ten days ago the Quintana of Ascoli was lethal for poor Look Amazing, knocked down following the serious injury due to a terrible fall”.
The association’s message is clear: no more events with the use of horses on unsuitable tracks, defined by Oipa as “anachronistic tournaments that no longer have a reason to exist in an era where a sensitivity is growing and consolidating, also supported by legal and jurisprudential guidelines, which does not want to use and abuse animals”.
The reply of the Municipality of Siena
—
The municipal authorities of Siena promptly issued a note to explain that “the interventions to reduce the fractures on the Giraffe and Porcupine horses were perfectly successful”. Immediately after the injury, in fact, the two horses, both seven years old, had been taken to the Il Ceppo veterinary clinic for all the necessary treatment.
The note from the municipal administration has already confirmed a good response of the two horses to treatment: “The horses have reacted positively to the treatments and have already begun their period of hospitalization which, for the Municipality of Siena, has as its usual objective the recovery of the subjects, thanks also to the availability of the Pensionario for Palio horses”.
The fear of a referendum
—
The Palio di Siena has been in the crosshairs of animal rights activists for years, but for a few weeks now there have been those who have been moving to try to stop it together with other Italian events involving animals. It’s the association Respect for all animals directed by Giancarlo De Salvo, who has started a collection of signatures with the aim of reaching 500,000 members and attempting the way of the referendum for the cancellation of the Palio di Siena and all the other historical re-enactments that involve the use of animals.
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED