Change Is Coming for Animals in Jordan!
Following PETA Asia’s exposé of the abusive treatment of working animals at Petra, Jordan, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed to make major improvements to animal welfare at the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The MoU includes plans for the introduction of eco-friendly electric vehicles to carry tourists and the installation of modern veterinary clinics, where the animals would receive regular care. Other plans include new water stations to ensure that animals have access to fresh drinking water and a prohibition on forcing animals to walk dangerous paths or carry heavy loads.
At Petra, more than 1,300 horses, donkeys, mules, and camels are forced to carry tourists or pull carriages in the city every day, and they’re suffering terribly. Handlers routinely whip and beat them as they haul tourists on a gruelling 6-mile trek in the sweltering heat, and they’re given no water or shade. Donkeys are forced to carry tourists up and down the 900 treacherously steep and eroded steps to the city’s iconic monastery. If they resist or falter, the beatings intensify.
This MoU is a monumental step in the right direction and has the potential to transform the lives of the hundreds of working animals who have suffered incessantly for the sake of tourism. PETA is thrilled that change is coming to Petra, as it might mean an end to the beatings and other forms of abuse at the site.
Remember: Petra isn’t the only place where animals are exploited and subjected to violence – this is the daily reality for millions of living beings around the globe. To end cruelty to animals everywhere, we must continue to take action:
