A video captured in Holguín on May 8 shows a coachman brutally beating an exhausted horse for over an hour after the animal collapsed while pulling a cart. The incident sparked widespread outrage, with animal welfare group Bienestar Animal Cuba (BAC) condemning the cruelty and demanding the immediate identification and punishment of the coachman. This event highlights a recurring pattern of animal abuse in Cuba, where working horses are often overburdened, deprived of basic needs, and subjected to harsh treatment without adequate rest or veterinary care.

Despite Cuba’s 2021 Animal Welfare Decree-Law No. 31, which sets standards for the treatment of working animals, enforcement remains weak and penalties are minimal, failing to deter abuse. Animal rights advocates criticize the lack of criminal classification for animal cruelty in Cuban law, resulting in symbolic fines or impunity for offenders. BAC has vowed to pursue justice for the abused horse, emphasizing the urgent need for stronger legal protections and enforcement to end such abuses on Cuban streets.