Carriage horse died after eating poisonous plant in Central Park, report finds
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The death of a carriage horse earlier this month in Central Park was caused by a nonnative toxic plant, according to a necropsy publicized by the union representing carriage drivers.
According to the Transport Workers Union of America, the horse, Deniz, was giving a ride near East 90th Street on June 10 when it paused to eat a shrub along the curb. A short time later, the horse collapsed and died.
The plant is a Japanese yew, an ornamental that is toxic and deadly to horses, according to the necropsy performed by Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Yew contains a toxic that can send a horse and other animals into cardiac arrest.
The union is using the necropsy to counter calls by activists and the Central Park Conservancy to ban carriage horses due to how they're treated.
"Deniz's tragic death was not caused by neglect or abuse or the fact he was a carriage horse - as some animal rights activists and elected officials claimed," TWU's Alexander Kemp said. "Poor Deniz died because the people running the Park Conservancy never warned anyone that there were deadly yew plants in the park. This is negligence at the highest level of the Conservancy."
The Central Park Conservancy didn't immediately respond to ABC News for comment.
Some animal activist groups, like PETA, have long protested horse-drawn carriage rides in the park, arguing that the animals are put in danger because of nearby car traffic and forced to work in poor conditions, especially in extreme weather.
Deniz had passed a physical exam conducted by the NYPD's Mounted Unit veterinarian in March, according to the TWU.
(ABC News contributed to this report.)
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