Pink Joins PETA US Campaign To Put New York Carriage Horses Out To Pasture

Pop Star's Message to Tourists on Times Square Billboard: 'Buck Cruelty!'

London - After several visits to New York in which she watched carriage horses, nose to tailpipe, inhaling exhaust and dodging cars, pop star Pink is now heading a PETA US campaign urging tourists not to get taken for a ride-and to boycott horse-drawn carriages. The Grammy Award winner is in New York this week to debut her new PETA billboard in Times Square, which urges tourists to "Say 'No' to Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides." The 3-story-tall billboard at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue directs tourists to a special Web page-PETA.org/pink-where people can sign a petition to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in support of a bill that was recently introduced to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City.

Says Pink, "Every time I see a horse-drawn carriage in a concrete jungle, I point and yell, 'animal cruelty' at the top of my lungs to try to make the driver and occupants as uncomfortable as possible. And I'm blessed with an unusually loud vocal box. It honestly hurts my heart when I think of what those horses must be feeling, as far as anxiety and fear, and how unnatural and wrong it is for these animals to have blinders on, trotting up and down on concrete, while taxis blare and people scream. It's absolutely unnatural and ignorant of us to continue this outdated tradition. What about this is romantic?"

Other reasons that Pink and PETA want tourists to say "neigh" to horse-drawn carriage rides include the following:
* In 2007, a mare who was spooked by a loud noise took off running, caught her carriage in a tree, broke her leg, and went into shock, while a second horse bolted into a car. The deadly accident came on the heels of a New York City comptroller audit, which found that the horses often work without enough water, shade, or oversight from authorities. Two other 2007 accidents resulted in injuries to a horse and the hospitalization of a cab driver. Horses are easily spooked by noise and lights-two things that are impossible to avoid on the streets of Manhattan.
* Veterinarians have shown that the horses get lung disease comparable to that of a heavy smoker from working every day in city traffic with their noses stuck in exhaust-spewing tailpipes.
* Horses are forced to pull carriages in all weather extremes, and many become lame from constantly walking on hard pavement-their hooves were designed for grass and dirt.For more information and to view Pink's billboard, please visit PETA.org/pink.