Badung Officials Confirm Death of Viral White Horse Near Canggu

Canggu — A white horse that became the focus of online criticism over animal treatment at a Bali beach tourism operation has died, Badung officials and local media reported this week.

The animal, a visibly thin white horse filmed near the coast in Badung, was confirmed dead by the Badung Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) following an inspection carried out with the regency’s Agriculture and Food Agency.

Satpol PP head I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara said officers and animal-health officials traced the horse after its condition went viral on social media and found that it had already died when they reached the site, according to his statements reported by detikBali and other outlets.

According to Suryanegara, the horse was considered very old — more than 30 years — and died due to illness and stress, based on information from a veterinarian. In separate coverage, he was quoted as saying the horse died on 16 September 2026.

Inspection and relocation of remaining horses

Officials from Satpol PP and the Agriculture and Food Agency’s animal-health division inspected the site on Friday, 18 September 2026, in coordination with local authorities, according to detikBali.

Media reports describe the operation as a private horse-riding business that had offered rides for tourists along the beach. Local officials said the horses had not been rented out for tourist rides for roughly two years, owing to their advanced age, and were instead taken for walks.

During the inspection, officers found three horses at the location, all reported to be over 30 years old. The white horse seen in the viral video was already dead, while two other horses remained alive.

Suryanegara and Badung Agriculture and Food Agency head Anak Agung Raka Sukadana said the two surviving horses were relocated to Tabanan regency to a place described as offering better conditions, and that their situation would continue to be monitored.

From viral video to official response

The case gained wider attention after a foreign national posted footage of the thin white horse on Instagram, prompting allegations that the animal had been exploited for tourism activities along the beach in the Canggu–Pererenan area.

Local coverage attributes some of the early posts to foreign users who shared or reshared video of the horse’s condition, though the accounts are identified mainly by username and not by full name in Indonesian reports.

Following the online outcry, Satpol PP Badung formed a joint team with the Agriculture and Food Agency to visit the site and review the condition of the horses and the business that had used them.

Officials’ account and welfare concerns

According to Badung officials, the horse-riding business had already stopped operating before the inspection, and the horses were no longer being hired out for tourist rides because of their age.

Raka Sukadana told detikBali that the white horse initially suffered a broken leg after reportedly jumping and injuring itself when startled by noise at the location, and that it later died from sickness and stress. Satpol PP’s account similarly cites illness and stress, not an official finding of direct exploitation, as the cause of death.

The viral images and subsequent reports have renewed questions among social media users and local commentators about the welfare of animals used to support Bali’s tourism sector. However, the media coverage so far has not detailed any specific legal action or cited particular animal-welfare regulations applied in this case, beyond noting the inspection and relocation steps taken by Badung authorities.

Sources

• detikBali
• CNN Indonesia
• kumparan