A 7- to 8-year-old skewbald pony found limping through traffic on Kharagpur’s Malancha Road has been rescued and taken to an Animal Rahat sanctuary for veterinary treatment and rehabilitation, after intervention by district authorities, police, animal-protection workers and local elected representatives.
The pony was suffering from severely overgrown and enlarged hooves, swollen fetlock joints, chronic osteoarthritis and impaired mobility. Its condition made movement difficult as it navigated traffic on the road, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India), which coordinated the rescue.
The operation was supported by West Midnapore district magistrate Bijin Krishna, Superintendent of Police Papiya Sultana, Kharagpur sub-divisional officer Bhuvana Pranith Pappula, Kharagpur Animal Resources Development department deputy director Chinmoy Chakraborty and Kharagpur Town Police Station inspector-in-charge Amit Kumar Mitra. Local animal advocate Sudebi Bhattacharya also assisted.
Members of Parliament June Maliah and Sayani Ghosh supported the operation after rescue efforts faced resistance from some local residents. The pony was eventually secured and transported to the Animal Rahat sanctuary, where it is expected to receive veterinary care and rehabilitation.
“This abandoned pony is yet another victim of the joyride industry. This rescue shows what can be achieved when authorities, animal protection groups, and citizens act together,” Maliah said in a statement cited by PETA India. She thanked the animal-protection organisation, the sanctuary and officials involved in the intervention, and urged the public to choose animal-free forms of entertainment.
The rescue has also brought renewed attention to the condition of horses used for tourist and recreational carriage rides in West Bengal. In Kolkata, PETA India has continued campaigning for the protection of horses used to haul tourist carriages. The organisation said it registered three first information reports in June 2026 involving neglected or distressed horses, including a foal found running through active traffic, a horse with severely overgrown hooves rescued from Hastings and a mare that died in traffic in Ekbalpore.
PETA India has reported that at least 18 horses in Kolkata have died or succumbed to injuries from road accidents and other causes since 2024. The figures and cases cited by the organisation form part of a wider dispute over the regulation, licensing and continued use of horse-drawn carriages in the city.
The Calcutta High Court has taken note of the reported condition of horses, the presence of unlicensed hackney carriages and the abandonment of ailing animals. In an order dated May 9, 2024, the court directed the state government to prepare a proposal for rehabilitating horse-carriage owners so that the replacement of horse-drawn carriages, as done in Mumbai, could be considered.
On July 7, 2026, PETA India appealed for horse-drawn tourist carriages in Kolkata to be replaced with heritage-style electric carriages. The latest rescue in Kharagpur adds another case to the debate over how authorities, operators and communities should respond when animals used in public or commercial activity become injured, disabled or abandoned.
The rescued pony remains at the Animal Rahat sanctuary for treatment and rehabilitation, while the state government’s proposed approach to rehabilitating horse-carriage owners remains a key pending step in the wider issue.
