In less than a week and right before Christmas, the iconic Griffith Park Pony Rides are scheduled to shut down for good.
On Thursday morning, the public will get to weigh in and have the opportunity to sound off on the closure in a virtual meeting. Officials with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks are open to ideas on what should replace the attraction.
Griffith Park Pony Rides is located on the southeastern corner of the park near the 5 Freeway and have existed for over 70 years. City officials said they did not renew the contract due to a lack of transparency with the owner, Stephen Weeks,"It’s imperative that this city convert this party to a non-animal model and stop exploiting animals at Griffith Park Pony Rides," Zohra Fahim with the LA Alliance for Animals said. "The next model needs to be a non-animal model.
Protesters on both sides were at the landmark over the weekend, with supporters fighting for the rides to stay open. Some supporters called the claims from animal activists "alarmist and exaggerated." Weeks also spoke out. In a statement, he said, "I was the person who told the city and our vet about these natural incidents. The city vet reported ‘there is no indication that any deaths were due to neglect." As horse owners we all realize that at some point all animals pass away. We treat any passing as a personal loss of our friend because we love our ponies.
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