Albert, a 17 year old horse, has died after collapsing whilst pulling a tram on the Douglas Horse Tramway. The tragic incident happened on Tuesday 13th May, just the second day of the 2014 season, and it is believed that Albert suffered a stroke.<\/p>\n
Despite the swift actions of the tram crew on duty and senior tramway staff who quickly moved Albert back to the Strathallan stables nothing could be done for him and after attendance from the vet, Albert was pronounced dead. Albert becomes the first horse to die whilst in active service for over 40 years (Superintendent Michael Crellin told the BBC Albert was the first death on duty during the 41 years he has worked there).<\/p>\n
In a statement Douglas Council said: \u201cTramways Superintendent Michael Crellin and Operations Supervisor Peter Cannon, and all the Tram Service staff, dealt with the emergency efficiently and professionally and were expertly supported by their colleagues in the Parks and Garage sections. A post mortem will be carried out, the findings from which will be made public in due course.\u201d<\/p>\n
All of the horses used on the Douglas Horse Tramway receive regular health checks and only run up to two round trips before returning to the stables.<\/p>\n
This incident was in stark contrast to the previous day \u2013 Monday 12 May \u2013 when the outgoing Mayor of Douglas, Cllr Carol Malarkey JP, launched the service for 2014 in a photo call involving \u201cRoyal Tram\u201d 44<\/strong> and horse \u201cDouglas\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Albert, a 17 year old horse, has died after collapsing whilst pulling a tram on the Douglas Horse Tramway. The tragic incident happened on Tuesday 13th May, just the second day of the 2014 season, and it is believed that … Continue reading