为避免遍地马粪给市容环境带来的负面影响，马耳他有关方面曾于2002年出台一项规定，命令马主人必须给自己的爱驹戴上粪兜，但该国一家法院最近做出裁决，认为此种行为已构成对动物身体的虐待。

    据路透社12月8日报道，那些用来盛马粪的袋子通常被人们称做“尿布”，但事实上从未有一个马主人真正执行过这一规定，同时他们中的60个人还就此事将有关政府部门告上了法庭。一些兽医在法庭上解释说，为驱赶苍蝇马尾巴必须始终处于可自由运动的状态，而给马戴上“尿布”则会对它们产生不利的影响。 该法院的一位法官随后表示，这种必须给马戴“尿布”的行为违反了该国动物福利法案的有关规定。

    报道说，在欧洲其它一些地方，人们习惯用观光马车的形式来招揽游客，在那里同样存在着与马耳他类似的规定。

    Regulations to control horse dung in the streets by forcing horse owners to tie bags under horses constituted cruelty to the animals, a Maltese court has ruled.

    The bags, popularly known as nappies, were ordered under 2002 regulations to stop the horses from fouling the streets, but owners never enforced them and 60 of them took the government to court.

    A magistrate found the nappies to breach the Animal Welfare Act after vets explained that a horse's tail had to be kept free to swat flies, the Malta Times reported on Thursday.

    The practice of putting diapers on horses is also used in other European cities where horses pull carriages for tourists.