E-buggies replace horse carts at Jordan’s Petra

Horses and mules have long drawn tourist carriages through Jordan's ancient city of Petra, but animal rights concerns are driving a project to start replacing them with electric vehicles.

A small fleet of 10 rechargeable e-carts now take visitors through the rose-colored Siq or gorge leading to the famed capital of the Nabateans, which dates back to the first century BC.

"There is no pollution or smoke" and the change has "reduced the cases of animal mistreatment," said Suleiman Farajat, head of the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority.

The golf buggy-style vehicles have less impact because "sometimes the carriage wheels hit the sides of the Siq ... the horse dung caused a bad smell in the place, and cleaning it was not easy.

"It was an unpleasant experience for the tourists, the horses and us," said Farajat.

Animal rights group PETA, which had criticized the use of the often scrawny and overworked draft animals, has described the project as a "major first step to protect working animals".

The group hailed the "game-changing vehicles" and added that it hopes to work with officials "toward the day when there will be only animal-free transportation at Petra".

For now the Petra authority says it will keep some of the horses "to preserve the character of the place, as it is a world heritage site".

The change has however also been hailed for another reason -- helping to make the UNESCO World Heritage Site far more accessible to elderly and disabled visitors.

Austrian tourist Rudy, 43, who uses a wheelchair, said he had repeatedly postponed a visit because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and was now "very happy" to have made the trip.

"Disabled people but also people who have difficulty...

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