All carts drawn by animals will from now on be prohibited from traveling on urban and intercity roads throughout Israel, the Transportation Ministry announced on Sunday.
By SHARON UDASINOPERATORS OF animal-drawn carts(photo credit: HAKOL CHAI)
All carts drawn by animals will from now on be prohibited from traveling on urban and intercity roads throughout Israel, the Transportation Ministry announced on Sunday.The new regulation on the subject went into force on Sunday, following its signing by Transportation Minister Israel Katz.Initiated by the animal rights group Hakol Chai, the regulation bars any animal- drawn cart from traveling on roads, except within the fields of a kibbutz or moshav.Until today, such carts have been primarily operated using donkeys and horses for transportation of cargo, in the cities of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Givatayim, Kfar Saba, Netanya and Nahariya, among others, the ministry said.Using the animals as cheap substitutes for motor vehicles, the peddlers operating the carts often do not provide suitable medical treatment, food or living conditions to the animals, the ministry added.With the entrance of the regulation into force, Transportation Ministry director-general Uzi Yitzhaki sent a special request on Sunday to the Israel Police, in order to ensure proper enforcement.