Activists fought to shutter the Griffith Park pony rides. Survey says: People want the ponies back

Two years after the city of Los Angeles shut down a popular pony ride attraction in Griffith Park, a city-funded survey found that most respondents are in favor of offering pony rides again — a result that has drawn the ire of animal rights activists.

The city-funded public opinion survey, which ran from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, found that about 70% of respondents were in favor of offering pony rides to children again in that location. And of the 30% who disapproved of resuming pony rides, nearly two-thirds supported less involved animal experiences — such as animal petting or simply viewing opportunities — in the space.

The pony rides closed in 2022 after 74 years in the park, and now city officials are weighing what to do with that facility.

Animal rights activists, who have opposed the use of ponies at the site and won a hard-fought victory when the pony rides shut down, say they have a letter with more than 12,000 signatures, highlighting the “strength of opposition to the cruel use of animals for entertainment” in Griffith Park, according to Brittany Michelson, a spokesperson for In Defense of Animals.

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In Defense of Animals also disputes the findings of the survey. The organization contends that respondents should have been informed of the alleged mistreatment of the ponies. “If residents knew this crucial context,” Michelson wrote in a press release, “they would have responded differently to the survey.”

The Marin County-based organization says that six geriatric ponies from the former attraction are unaccounted for, and four died under “unknown circumstances.”

A 2022 report prepared for the Department of Recreation and Parks, which oversees the facilities at Griffith Park, acknowledged that four ponies did die and six were placed in other facilities, but the city did not receive any information until months after the ponies’ deaths. Based on medical records, none of the animals died from neglect. The report recommended Griffith Park Pony Rides owner Stephen Weeks improve his veterinarian record-keeping and his communication with the city.

“Over the course of 74 years, I’m certain that many ponies have passed away due to natural causes or horse-related diseases, especially colic,” Weeks told The Times in 2022. “It’s just something that happens.”

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As of Wednesday, 25 of the ponies had found new homes. The owner of the pony rides said, in the future, the animals wouldn’t be working.

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Activists contend that any animal exhibit at the Griffith Park facility would unavoidably lead to cruelty.

“Los Angeles residents do not want to see animal cruelty in city parks. Animal models are nothing more than cruelty dressed as entertainment, and forcing animals to perform amid large, noisy crowds can never be humane for these sensitive animals,” said Zohra Fahim, president and founder of Los Angeles Alliance for Animals.

The parks department received hundreds of public comments about how best to use the space. “The City will evaluate the potential for both animal and non-animal uses for the project site,” the project website reads.

The decision will ultimately be up to the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners and the City Council, according to the site. If animal options were to be ruled out, other popular ideas from the survey included a community garden and a nature center.

Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.