This is the moment a fuming local in Sevilla berated tourists for riding a horse carriage during 40C temperatures.
The footage, shared by animal rights party PACMA, shows the carriage ferrying two tourists through the Andalucian capital this week.
The city is in the middle of a heatwave that is seeing the mercury surpass 40C.
In the clip the woman can be heard shouting: ‘I’m going to record you, I will pixelate your faces, but you are going to appear on the internet for being animal abusers.
‘That’s what you are… on a horse in Sevilla during 41C?!… you are abusers.’
PACMA said: ‘We’re in the first heatwave of the year and drivers aren’t even considering taking on the recommendations that @ayto_sevilla made last year to not work in peak heat hours.
‘These images exploiting horses, overloaded and in extreme temperatures, in addition to being shameful for most Sevillianos, causes us pain by seeing such suffering in the horses.
‘Fortunately, more and more people are against this continued abuse of animals.
‘The irresponsibility of @aytosevilla is evident and allows this continuous abuse by profiling itself with banal recommendations instead of betting on responsible, sustainable tourism free of animal abuse.
‘They must replace horses with electric carriages and at a progressive rate, and with help to do so, and they know it.’
Last year, Sevilla City Council introduced a set of recommendations aimed at protecting horses.
These guidelines, though not legally binding, were designed to promote better treatment and working conditions for the animals.
When the state weather agency (Aemet) issues a heat alert for temperatures exceeding 38C, it is recommended that horse-drawn carriages cease operations between 2.30pm and 7.30pm to prevent heat-related health issues in horses – advice that was clearly ignored by the carriage driver in the video.
The other recommendations said horses should not work more than eight hours per day and should have at least one 30-minute break every two hours.
Meanwhile, horses aged between four and 18 should have at least one full day of rest per week.
Animal activists said the recommendations mean nothing as they are not enforceable laws, meaning they can be ignored without consequences for the drivers.
