Calèche horse collapses and dies in Old Montreal
The horse was taken away from the corner of St-Jean and St-Sacrement Streets
A calèche horse collapsed and died on St-Jean Street in Old Montreal Sunday afternoon, and could be seen lying on the ground covered in blankets for more than two hours.
Montreal police say they received a call about the fallen horse around 3 p.m. As of 6 p.m., the police and Montreal SPCA representatives were still on the scene.
Police say the investigation has been handed over to the SPCA, which is expected to release a statement Monday morning.
In June, the City of Montreal released its plan to reform animal control bylaws, including a measure to ban the city's controversial calèche horse industry starting on Dec. 31, 2019.
There have been a few hundred complaints and four accidents involving calèches since 2014, the city said at the time of the announcement. In 2016 and 2017, 14 infractions were recorded in relation to the health of the horses or the state of the calèches.