Fury as pony is spotted in the boot of tiny car aboard ferry to island

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy PATRICK HARRINGTON, UK NEWS REPORTER Published: 02:04 BST, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 02:21 BST, 23 July 2026

Tourists were stunned to spot a pony crammed into the boot of a tiny Citroën aboard a ferry crossing to an Italian island.A driver was reported to police for allegedly taking the animal on the hour-long crossing from Pozzuoli, near Naples to the island of Ischia.An aghast passenger captured footage of the light brown pony shuffling around in the red Citroën C1 on July 5, when it reached 31C in Pozzuoli.Its head was forced down by the roof of the car, and its rump pressed against the read windscreen.The horse fills almost the entire car.The Swiss tourist who took the footage said she 'alerted the onboard staff', who told her they were 'already aware of the animal's presence'.But the ferry company apparently decided against intervening, or alerting the authorities.Animal rights activist Enrico Rizzi shared the footage online and asked: 'How is it possible that nobody stopped that vehicle before it was loaded onto the ferry?A pony was spotted crammed into the back of a Citroën C1 for an hour-long ferry crossing'Is it possible that no employee of the ferry company Medmar Navi Spa saw a pony crammed inside a small car?'Is it possible that nobody thought it necessary to call the Carabinieri?'And, if staff really were already aware of the animal's presence, why was the journey allowed to go ahead anyway, given that we are dealing with a crime?'Rizzi reported the case to police in Pozzuoli, calling for the driver to be investigated for alleged animal cruelty, and a probe into those who allowed the animal to travel.He wrote: 'Only a monster could behave in such an inhumane way towards an animal.'One unimpressed social media user said: 'I wonder who that a**hole is who drove the car onto the ferry.'MP Francesco Emilio Borrelli called for the animal's owner to be identified and for the pony to be taken away from them 'to protect its well-being'.Medmar group was approached for comment.