Deadly impact of Covid-19 on tourism as more than 20 horses die of starvation in one month at once popular tourist spot
- Owners at Cox’s Bazar Beach in Bangladesh, where horses give tourists rides, say they are struggling to afford fodder for their animals
- They have also been struggling to feed their own families, they say, with many taking out loans from microlenders just to make ends meet
More than 20 horses have died of starvation in just one month at Bangladesh’s most popular resort district, the animals’ owners said on Sunday, as the country’s tourism industry reels from the pandemic’s economic fallout.
The South Asian nation of 168 million people is battling a fresh wave of coronavirus infections that has stretched its health-care system and triggered a nationwide lockdown. The horses’ owners said they were struggling to afford fodder for their animals, which are used for tourist rides at Cox’s Bazar Beach – one of the world’s longest.
“Once coronavirus hit, tourist numbers … sharply dropped to a trickle,” Farida Begum, spokesperson of the Cox’s Bazar Horse Owners Association, said. “We are struggling to make ends meet. How can we feed the horses?”
Tourists had returned to the district between December and February, when infections slowed, but visits dried up under the fresh lockdown, imposed from April 14.
At least 21 horses out of up to 90 used for tourists at the beach died over the past month while others were emaciated, Begum said. During last year’s lockdown, 41 horses – including eight of Begum’s own – died, she added.