Horse made to pull tourists in Seville dies during record heatwave

One horse dies and second collapses while made to pull tourist carriages through Seville during Spain’s record 36C April heatwave

• Spain is currently seeing record April temperatures reaching highs of 36C 

A horse forced to pull tourist carriages through Seville during Spain’s record 36C April heatwave has died, while another collapsed, shocking footage has shown.

Panicked bystanders tried to revive the horse with water after it collapsed on Wednesday next to a busy road in the popular southern Spanish city, but their attempts sadly failed. 

The video, which was posted on Instagram by a member of the bird welfare group Rescate de Aves, has triggered an animal abuse investigation.

Emergency services will now launch a probe into whether the owner, who has not been named, was responsible for abuse of the animal. 

Rescate de Aves coordinator Carlos Moreno, whose colleague took the video said: ‘The drivers got hold of another horse and carried on with the ride in front of police who, although there was a complaint, made no move to confiscate their licence.’

A horse made to pull tourist carriages through Seville during Spain’s record 36C April heatwave has died. Bystanders rushed to the horse to try and revive it by water

People have flocked to Spain’s beaches this week as temperatures reached 36C in an unusually hot April. Pictured: Beachgoers sunbathing on La Malagueta beach as they enjoy the unusually hot weather 

The second horse pulling the carriage had also showed signs of dehydration but was made to continue working, he added.

People in Seville are currently celebrating Feria de Abril – a huge festival that takes place in April annually, where people dress up, wearing traditional flamenco dresses and smart suits, to celebrate the city’s culture.

Mr Moreno’s colleague said the carriage appeared to be carrying revellers attending the city’s fair, which takes place every April and last year attracted an estimated 500,000.

Temperatures in Seville, part of Spain’s warmest region, were expected to soar to 36C today, resulting in extra health workers being brought in to deal with the hundreds attending festival.

Horse-drawn tourist carriages are a common sight in the city, where authorities have handed out more than 1,000 licences to operate them during this year’s fair.

Neither Seville’s association of horse carriage operators nor the city mayor’s office or police responded to requests for comment on the horse’s death.

Temperatures in Seville, part of Spain’s warmest region, were expected to soar to 36C today, resulting in extra health workers being brought in to deal with the hundreds attending festival. Pictured: A man refreshing himself in a fountain in Seville, Spain

People in Spain have been dealing with a record April heatwave over the last week, with temperatures soaring to 36C

The heatwave comes as people in Seville are celebrating Feria de Abril – a huge festival that takes place in April annually, where people dress up, wearing traditional flamenco dresses and smart suits, to celebrate the city’s culture. Pictured: People celebrating in the city on Sunday

Horse-drawn tourist carriages are a common sight in the city, where authorities have handed out more than 1,000 licences to operate them during this year’s fair. Pictured: Andalusian horsemen attend Feria de Abril in Seville  

A vet’s post-mortem showed the mare been suffering from a blood-borne disease spread by ticks, aggravated by dehydration during abnormally high temperatures, the emergency services added.

In a separate incident on Tuesday, another horse collapsed according to a video posted on Twitter on Thursday by PACMA, a political party that campaigns for animal rights.

The hot spell is set to continue, with temperatures in some areas expected to reach 40C, peaking tomorrow.

Spain’s state weather agency AEMET said this was likely to be the hottest April on the Iberian Peninsula since records began.

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