Nearly 20 horses and ponies have died in Nuwara Eliya town due to the bad weather. The deaths were caused by flooding and extreme cold.
In addition, the owners of the remaining ponies and horses say that there is not enough animal feed for them. Many of the animals have not received animal feed for more than a week and have been allowed to eat only grass instead, which has led to nutritional problems.
Hasanga Jayaratne, who owns 35 horses, said that the water reached the Nuwara Eliya racecourse and stables up to the necks of the animals.
“The stallions and foals were kept in stables located at higher levels. The stable staff and veterinarians had taken care of the animals and provided them with care and medication. But the animal feed had been destroyed and washed away; so we had to send food to Nuwara Eliya,” he said.
Pony owners who do not have their own stables allow their animals to roam freely. This allows them to escape the floods and find food during heavy rains. Some animals drowned, but a large number of free-roaming ponies were rescued.