Recently, the above video, showing a delman (traditional horse carriage) driver whipping his overworked creature, which was resting on its side, went viral in Indonesia with many condemning the act of animal cruelty.
It has since been determined that the incident took place in Jakarta’s satellite city of Depok. City officials tracked down the driver, who they identified by his initial D, and have spoken to him regarding the incident.
“When we met him, he denied (whipping his horse) at first. But later he admitted to it. His excuse was that his whip didn’t directly touch the horse’s body,” said Herliani, secretary at the Depok Forestry, Agriculture, Horticulture and Fisheries Agency (DKPPP), as quoted by Kompas yesterday.
However, the video shows undeniable proof that D whipped the horse hard a couple of times before he forced the overworked animal to get up and resume pulling the carriage.
That said, there are no reports of criminal charges for animal cruelty being filed against D thus far. The DKPPP said they have reprimanded him and made him promise not to repeat his actions.
“The horse is now healthy and has been able to work like normal since Sunday,” Herliani said.
Delmans are legal and common in Indonesia and media reports about cruelty against the horses are rare. However, there have been allegations in the past from animal rights activists that many of the delman horses face terrible conditions, including being kept in dirty stables and being given unfit horseshoes.
