Some of New York's finest four-legged friends have been sent off to greener pastures, with a loud rally cry from animal rights activists sending them off. According to the NY Post, the head of the NYPD's Mounted Unit, Capt. Barry Gelbman, ordered three retired police horses put down upon their retirement, saying various leg ailments made it impossible to transport them to new homes upstate and in New Hampshire.
The horses—Danny, Willis and Richie Rich—were 15 to 20 years old, and had life expectancies of up to 30, leaving many to question Gelbman's decision. Allegedly, he made it clear the animals were under his control, as property of his department. But one source told the paper, "They did not need to be euthanized. They just could not travel cramped for 16 hours. They only needed special accommodations to move them."
This isn't the first time the NYPD has been involved in scandals involving their horses. On top of running a corrupt auction, in 2005 they sent 58 retired horses to a bankrupt farm where it was discovered they were malnourished.
