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Operators and advocates clash at City Hall over mule-drawn carriage welfare
Summary
Public commenters split over mule-drawn carriages: carriage operators defended animal care and compliance, while humane advocates and veterinarians urged phasing out mules and switching to electric carts because of heat, humidity and traffic risks.
A long string of public comments at the council meeting focused on mule-drawn carriages in the French Quarter, with operators defending industry practices and animal-welfare advocates urging a transition to electric vehicles.
Alex Mata, who said he owns Nuala Carriages, told the council that his company and other operators follow existing heat-index ordinances and vet care requirements and that he had never observed a heat-related problem: “Since 1989, we've never had a heat related issue with our mules,” he said. Benjamin Spate and other drivers described training and routine care, and urged policymakers to inspect stables before moving to bans.
Speakers for animal-welfare groups and veterinarians pushed a different view. Christy Solano and Catherine Cassidy urged the council to “phase out and ultimately ban mule-drawn carriages,” citing heat, humidity and risks of exhaustion in New Orleans’s climate. Jeff Dawson of the Humane Society of Louisiana said other cities have replaced horse- or mule-drawn sightseeing with electric carts and recommended the same option to avoid job loss while improving welfare.
Council members noted there was no ordinance pending and that many of the comments had been submitted as communications for the record; they said the testimony would inform any future regulatory proposals.
