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Animal rights group plans protest at popular holiday light display

A team of carriage horses at Tilles Park.
Kelly Moffit | St. Louis Public Radio
A team of carriage horses at Tilles Park.
A team of carriage horses at Tilles Park.
Credit Kelly Moffit | St. Louis Public Radio
A team of carriage horses at Tilles Park.

An animal rights group plans to protest Wednesday night at one of St. Louis County’s largest holiday light displays.

A small candlelight vigil at Tilles Park’s “Winter Wonderland” will honor a carriage horse named King that died while giving rides there on Dec. 21, 2013, said St. Louis Animal Rights Team attorney, Dan Kolde.

“We think that that occurred because the industry was allowed, unlawfully, to become unregulated by the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission,” he said.  

Kolde’s group is seeking to force the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission to ensure the health and welfare of carriage horses that operate in the county. It’s appealing a judge's dismissal of their case against the commission in November.

A spokesman for the MTC says it’s unclear which department in the county is responsible for overseeing the welfare of the animals. 

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Leahy anchors St. Louis Public Radio's weekday afternoon newscasts and produces news on local and regional issues. He previously produced and reported news for WERS 88.9 FM in Boston and is a former correspondent for the Boston Globe’s online news section, "Your Town." He holds a master's degree in print and multimedia journalism from Emerson College in Boston.