@OfficialJoelF/TwitterA nightclub in Miami Beach has been closed down after bizarre footage emerged showing a bikini clad woman riding a horse across the dancefloor.
The incident, which took place at Mokai Lounge, has caused outrage, sparking allegations of animal cruelty.
The footage has since gone viral, which caused a heated debate on social media.
WATCH: Mokai Lounge in Miami Beach under fire after video surfaced of a horse inside the nightclub pic.twitter.com/C7Saz3q20a
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) March 9, 2018
The frightened horse can be seen panicking as it’s ridden through the crowd of club goers.
Revellers can be heard shrieking, cheering and applauding as the nearly-naked woman is bucked from the saddle by the seemingly distressed animal.
This is awful poor horse?
— Kerry Dewitt (@kgmommabear) March 9, 2018
That is really disgusting it so wrong Shame in the club for allowing this
— leonie (@leonie67695013) March 10, 2018
So sad to see this. I’m happy @mokaimiami is currently closed but who rented this horse to the club in the first place?
— Elizabeth Uga (@queenelizaa) March 10, 2018
Almost 3,000 people signed a petition which pushed for lawful action against the club, showing concern for the horse’s welfare.
The petition on change.org read:
People go to night clubs to have a good time, enjoy drinks with friends, dance and party. This environment is by no means a place for ANY animal or wildlife.
A video of Miami nightclub, Mokai, showed a horse being riden by a female employee and restrained by party goers in a struggle to run off. This is not only a danger to everybody in the night club, but the horses well-being and safety.
In the video you can see the horse stumbling and collapsing – probably due to a floor wet from alcohol, stress from people capacity and music/lights.
The question remains as to WHY a horse was let into the doors of Mokai in the first place, but the answer remains the same, ACTION MUST BE TAKEN for letting this happen.
Miami is a beautiful and great city where we love to have fun, but we will NOT support animal abuse.
Crazy!! Poor horse. Was someone trying to recreate that scene from #Studio54?! ?
— Rachael Wotherspoon (@ImRachW) March 10, 2018
Miami Beach City Manager, Jimmy L. Morales, has now issued an official order for Mokai Lounge’s business license to be removed.
Morales made the following statement:
I was disgusted and offended that any legitimate businessperson would think this was an appropriate action to take.
This activity was not permitted and as soon as we became aware, I immediately instructed staff to act swiftly in remedying this situation.
Thankfully, Miami Beach Police have now confirmed the horse to be ‘healthy and safe’ following it’s ordeal.
UPDATE: Miami Beach PD detectives along with @MiamiDadePD ’s animal experts have located the horse that was at Mokai. The horse has been inspected and deemed to be healthy and safe by Miami Dade PD.
Our investigation continues. https://t.co/pCI5TZ9sww
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) March 10, 2018
Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks it’s okay to use a living creature as a prop – animals are not here for our entertainment.
A loud, dark, packed nightclub really is no place for a horse or any other animal.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.