Sparing the Horse, Brussels Warms Up to the Electric Carriage

It started a number of years ago with angry remarks from tourists every now and again. But in recent years, the comments flew all of the time, with people shouting, “Shame!” at Thibault Danthine, a horse-drawn carriage operator in Brussels, as they walked by.

“Ten years ago, that never happened,” said Mr. Danthine, a self-described horse lover. “At the end, it was every day.”

Exhausted by being accused of perpetrating animal cruelty, Mr. Danthine decided to sell his five horses and use the proceeds to buy two electric carriages, designed to look like an early model of an electric vehicle developed in the 1800s by the inventor Robert Anderson, instead. In June, Brussels became the first European capital to offer daily tours on electric carriages.

Mr. Danthine, the city’s only carriage operator, said he had no interest in becoming the ambassador of a movement to ban horse-drawn carriages. Still, his decision puts Brussels in the ranks of a growing number of cities around the world that have decided to shun such carriages, concerned about the horses’ welfare.

Once Mr. Danthine sold his horses to people who lived in the nearby countryside, the city agreed it was time to transition and will not issue any new licenses, even though it has not officially banned horse-drawn carriages.

“Things change, and we need to accept that,” said Philippe Close, the mayor of Brussels, in an interview at City Hall, a building in the city’s ornate Grand Place that was originally constructed in the 15th century. “We try to find a balance: respect for the animals and also discovery of an ancient city with old traditions.”