Three the unicorn: mobile carrier's London carriage ride criticised by animal rights protestors
Unicorns have taken to the streets of London as part of a “magic” promotion from Three, ZTE and of Unicabs, although the stunt has been criticised by animal rights campaigners.
Commuters were able on Friday 28 October to book a journey in one of the several carriages on patrol by tweeting @ThreeUK, stating whether they would like to be picked up, their destination, with #MagicTogether included.
The stunt served to promote the services, in addition to the ZTE Blade V7 handset which was included in the carriages for commuters to test.
Ars Technica reports that animal rights activists, including Surge and London Vegan Actions, have picketed the Three store at Oxford Street over the use of the horses which has been equated to "high welfare animal abuse".
No unicorns were harmed in the activation of the stunt, instead Three resorted to horses, decked out for the occasion with rainbow hair and a cursory horn, to ferry passengers.
Three responded to protestors: “We apologise if this activity has caused any offence to members of the public. Three and ZTE worked with Westway Carriage Horses Ltd and Equidivine to deliver this professional service to the public. The horses pull carriages carrying members of the public on a daily basis as part of their regular work.
“All products used to dress the horses are supplied by a specialist horse grooming company, Equidivine, and are 100 percent safe to use on animals."