Manhattan, New York – Results from a necropsy on a NYC carriage horse have revealed a surprising cause of death. According to reports, the 16-year-old horse, Deniz, died on June 10 after eating a foreign toxic plant.
According to the Transport Workers Union of America, Deniz had paused briefly to nibble a shrub while pulling a carriage East 90th Street – the plant has been identified as a Japanese Yew.
The Japanese Yew is one of the most toxic plants for horses. Even small amounts can be deadly because the plant contains taxines, toxic compounds that disrupt the heart’s electrical activity and can cause sudden cardiac arrest.
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.”
But the Conservancy has pushed back and stated that the driver should have been more attentive to Deniz because the death could have been prevented if the horse was not allowed to stop and eat the Japanese Yew.
What are your thoughts? Should these toxic plants be in the park, or was the carriage horse driver at fault?
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