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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Activists hoping for a ban on horse-drawn carriages used to transport tourists around Petra were refused one but are helping to set up improved medical facilities for the animals, AFP reports.

"We have asked the ministry of tourism to ban horse-drawn carriages, but they told us that this method of transport was essential for tourists who can't handle the long walk," said Imad Hlalet, a veterinarian at the Petra clinic where seven to 15 animals are treated per day.

Instead, veterinarians and activists have joined forces with Jordan’s government to make improvements. The Princess Alia Foundation and Vienna-based Four Paws Animal Welfare group are working with the ministry of tourism to introduce a programme to improve liviing conditions for the animals.

Four Paws has already begun providing the clinic in Petra with supplies of drugs and equipment. It will also be training local veterinarians, said Robert Hengl, the project leader.

"The first advice we give is to avoid overworking animals," he added, saying that an awareness campaign is under way, which is just as important as the treatment.

Stables, rest areas to protect horses from the sun and troughs are also planned to be built before the summer. Local guides have welcomed the new plans, saying the currently ill-equipped medical centre cannot cater for the number of animals that need treatment.

Many of the nearly 1,350 animals transporting tourists at the Unesco World Heritage site are suffering from exhaustion, lameness and colic, with limited access to veterinary care, activists claim, with animals drawing carriages among the most vulnerable.

The animals have been forced to carry loads that are far too heavy for their size and kept in poor conditions, with insufficient food, water and places to rest. Dozens of horses, donkeys, mules and camels near the visitor centre have been seen standing idle without any shade under the blistering sun, AFP reports.

The tired horses, which carry tourists over a 10km (six-mile) trek through the ancient city, are said to receive a lashing from their frustrated drivers when they seem reluctant to move forward.

The animals are said to suffer regular injuries walking across rough and slippery trails - including the winding and narrow Siq path, a gorge crossed by the animals several times a day - but have only had access to treatment from a small and ageing clinic for several years.

"There was no treatment here. A few months ago I had to kill a horse because I couldn't offer him the appropriate treatment," said Hlalet.

Guides at the ancient site have been found to overwork their animals following a significant in tourism in the area since the start of the civil war in Syria. Last month, officials in Jordan were said to be drawing up urgent plans to “salvage” the tourism industry, as the number of visitors to Petra had halved since 2010, peaking at 400,000 last year following the continued unrest in Iraq and Syria.