Netizens Criticise Joe Ma For “Shedding Crocodile Tears” After He Euthanised His Severely Injured Race Horse
The actor says he won’t be buying another horse for the time being.
The life of a race horse co-owned by Hongkong celebs Joe Ma, 51, and Idy Chan, 60, came to a tragic end recently, its death made even more ironic as the beast was named Happy Reality.
According to reports, Happy Reality was due to take part in a race but had been behaving erratically. It had thrown its jockey to the ground before racing off towards the track, where it slipped due to the wet floor. The fall severely injured Happy Reality, and the veterinarian recommended that the horse be put down.
Joe and his wife Karen Cheung with Happy Reality
On June 7, Joe posted a tribute to Happy Reality on his Instagram, writing: "Three years ago, Happy Reality won the Hongkong Riding For The Disabled Association Cup. Three years later today, he had to be put down because of a severe injury. Its hard for me to accept this [sudden] change, the lives of humans and animals are so fragile! I still remember the first time I visited you. Thank you Happy Reality for giving us, as well as yourself, these brilliant achievements. I hope that you’ll be free in Heaven to really live it up! RIP!”
Happy Reality’s big win three years ago was said to have earned Joe over HKD$470,000 (S$85,000) in prize money.
Happy Reality in action
It's said that Joe was not present at the race course when the accident happened and that he only knew of it after the horse had been put down. The actor added that he always thought Happy Reality would retire comfortably after his racing career came to an end. Joe also said that he will not be purchasing another horse for the time being.
While the majority of comments on Joe’s post were from sympathetic netizens who expressed their condolences, a number of them weren't so nice with their words.
“The owner loves gambling, and clearly does not care for animals. If he truly loved the horse, he would not rear it in captivity just to use it for gambling,” wrote a netizen. Another netizen called Joe "a hypocrite shedding crocodile tears", adding that "the horse’s tragic end was caused by the selfishness of mankind.”
Then there was one netizen who put forth this rather morbid thought: "Hongkong doesn't have any large-scale incinerators, so the horse's corpse would have to be cut up into pieces or thrown into a landfill."
Here's Joe's original Instagram post:
View this post on InstagramA post shared by 馬德鐘 Joe Ma (@joema_tak_chung) on Jun 7, 2020 at 8:26am PDT
Photos: PBE Media, Joe Ma/Instagram
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