Horses have long pulled tourist carts through Jordan's ancient city of Petra, but animal rights groups are driving a project to start replacing them with electric vehicles.
A small team of 10 rechargeable e-carts now take visitors through the rose-colored road leading to the famed capital of the Nabateans, which dates back to the first century BC.
"The e-cart produces 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 new golf buggy-style (马车式) electric vehicles have less impact on the surroundings because the horse cart wheels used to hit the sides of the road. The horse waste also caused a bad smell in the place, and cleaning it was not easy.
Animal rights group PETA, which had blamed the use of the overworking animals, has described the project as a major first step to protect working animals. The group hopes to work with officials toward the day when there will be only animal-free transportation at Petra.
The change has also been well received for another reason — helping to make the UNESCO World Heritage Site accessible to elderly and disabled visitors with the newly designed e-carts. Austrian tourist Rudy, 43, who uses a wheelchair, said he had repeatedly postponed a visit, but was now very happy to have made the trip. "Not only disabled people but also people who have difficulty walking for a long distance now have a chance to see this amazing place," he said.
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.
