120 Hantour Licenses Revoked in Edfu Due to Animal Abuse

The hantour (horse carriage) is perhaps one of the most culturally significant symbols in Egypt, one that is popular amongst tourists and young couples looking for a romantic carriage ride along the Nile alike. Sadly, the image of the hantour also often holds negative connotations of abuse towards the horse by the carriage driver.

In an effort to combat this grossly unethical behaviour, the Aswani city of Edfu have started imposing fines and temporary bans on hantour drivers who brutally whip their horses, with the ban lasting 10 days and a fine of EGP 100 imposed. Subsequently, 120 hantour licenses were revoked from the drivers on this basis and were reexamined with these ethical measures in mind. 

This decision came under the objective of not only improving the experience of the hantour for locals and tourists, but to also point out the issues with slow transportation practices to begin with. This came after many complaints by tourists regarding the blatant animal abuse and severity of the whipping. Many will feel that this is a positive step for the monitoring and prevention of animal abuse in Egypt and hope it will dramatically change the way hantour horses are treated.