Renewed application for the Fiaker to be included in the list of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage

FOUR PAWS warns against cementing animal cruelty

Vienna (OTS) – FOUR PAWS is sounding the alarm: As in 2016, Viennese horse-drawn carriage companies have apparently submitted a new application to UNESCO in 2023 for inclusion on the list of intangible cultural heritage. If UNESCO decides positively on the application, this would mean cementing animal cruelty under the guise of cultural heritage: improvements for the horses or even a ban on horse-drawn carriages, for example in the city center, would then hardly be possible. In 2017 the application was rejected by UNESCO; FOUR PAWS had previously collected thousands of signatures to mobilize against inclusion.

„It’s more than embarrassing: more and more cities around the world – such as Prague, Melbourne, Chicago, Mumbai, Petra, Verona or Marbella – are banning horse-drawn carriages because they are completely out of date and, fortunately, animal protection now has a high priority in society. Only in Vienna does the horse-drawn carriage industry want to uphold an eternal tradition. We very much hope that UNESCO will again make a wise decision, as it did in 2017, and reject the applicationsays FOUR PAWS campaign manager Veronika Weissenböck.

For FOUR PAWS, the initiative by the horse-drawn carriage companies is a clear abuse of the UNESCO institution. Weissenböck: “Seeing the status of intangible cultural heritage as a vehicle to ignore existing animal welfare problems and urgently needed adjustments cannot be in the spirit of the Commission. Traditions are good and important, but if they exist on the backs of living beings, then they are simply an anachronism that should be abolished.”

The Fiakers are also increasingly met with incomprehension among the population. Every year, especially in summer and winter (when there is black ice), FOUR PAWS is confronted with numerous complaints and eyewitness reports from angry people who are upset about the situation of Fiaker horses in Vienna’s city center. These include not only many Viennese citizens who have observed concrete grievances, but also numerous tourists who are angry that such antiquated use of animals for the amusement of some visitors to the capital is still permitted in Vienna. A petition initiated by FOUR PAWS for a driving ban in the city center and better working and living conditions was signed by over 80,000 citizens and handed over to the City of Vienna in 2021.

For years, FOUR PAWS has been calling for a ban on horse-drawn carriages in the city center and a relocation to green areas. Noise, crowds of people, exhaust gases and hectic city center traffic in all weathers are anything but species-appropriate for these sensitive animals; there is no adequate supply of roughage. In addition, serious accidents occur again and again in which people and animals are harmed. The consequences of the working conditions for the horses are often deformed hooves, problems with the digestive tract, collapse or behavioral problems.

“Vienna has so much to offer for tourists and is innovative in so many ways – it really doesn’t need the cabs to remain attractive for visitors. On the contrary: Vienna can afford to arrive in the 21st century with its great offerings,” says Weissenböck. Because animal protection is a constitutional priority in Austria, this must be given priority. Therefore, from FOUR PAWS’ point of view, the inclusion of the horse-drawn carriage trade in the list of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage should be clearly rejected.

Questions & Contact:

Mag. Elisabeth Penz
Press Office Austria
FOUR PAWS – Foundation for Animal Welfare
Linke Wienzeile 236, 1150 Vienna

Tel: + 43 (0)1 895 02 02 – 66
Fax: + 43 (0)1 895 02 02 – 99
Mobil: + 43 (0)664 3086303
elisabeth.penz@vier-pfoten.org
www.vier-pfoten.at www.vier-pfoten.org