Historic horse-drawn tram horse Albert dies in Australia
In Australia, Albert, an 18-year-old Clydesdale gelding that pulled the historic horse-drawn tram between Victor Harbor and Granite Island for 13 years, has died. The horse fell ill on Friday and died the following morning. Veterinarians confirmed that tumors were the cause of his illness and death, ABC News Australia reports.
A horse for training staff
Albert was a bay tobiano gelding and one of the tallest horses in the tram service herd, standing 17.3 hands high. Due to his calm temperament, he was often involved in training new horses and tram drivers.
Victor Harbour Horse Drawn Tram Authority general manager Meg Wibley called Albert her main horse for training new staff. According to her, he was forgiving, and the team trusted him with many things.
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Unusual habits and friend Murray
Unlike most horses on the team, Albert did not like wearing blinkers and preferred to see everything around him during the 650-metre journey along the causeway between Victor Harbor and Granite Island. At the same time, he reacted cautiously to fishermen, their rods and buckets along the route.
The horse was named after nearby Lake Albert. His best friend was another tram service horse, Murray: the animals were often seen together while grazing and near the hay. Following Albert's death, Murray is being given extra attention and has been paired with another horse so that he does not remain alone.
The horse-drawn tram will continue operating as usual. Earlier, in April and May, services had to be suspended because of a mysterious illness with flu-like symptoms in several other horses. In recent years, the service has also lost revenue due to the impact of algal blooms in South Australia.
