Polish Tatra horse‑transport protest collapses as activists find no horses

Animal‑rights organisations Dolnośląski Inspektorat Ochrony Zwierząt (DIOZ) and the Institute for Animal Protection organised a protest at Palenica Białczańska, the trailhead to the popular Morskie Oko lake in the Polish Tatras. The demonstrators demanded a total ban on horse‑drawn tourist transport, the resignation of Climate Minister Paulina Hennig‑Kłoska and Tatra National Park director Szymon Ziobrowski, and rejected a prior compromise that shortened the horse route and introduced a few electric buses.

The protest attracted only about fifteen activists, while roughly forty police officers were deployed. Horse carriers (fiakrzy) did not operate their wagons; they left a single empty carriage with a sign reading, "Dziś nie kursujemy. Nie z obawy przed protestem, ale dla bezpieczeństwa turystów, spokoju naszych koni i uniknięcia niepotrzebnej, wyreżyserowanej eskalacji emocji." The low turnout and the absence of horses turned the planned confrontation into a logistical failure.

Activists appealed to passing tourists to avoid horse transport now and in the future, displaying slogans such as "Oni muszą odejść" ("They must go"). The event highlighted ongoing tensions between traditional mountain tourism operators and animal‑rights advocates in the region.