One animal dumped in Spain every three minutes, reveals bestselling author and petition-starter
Tuesday, July 29, 2014 @ 11:07 AM
SPAIN has the worst record in Europe for pets being abandoned, with one animal dumped every three minutes.
Author and journalist Rosa Montero has brought this to the public's attention and started a petition on campaign site Avaaz calling for tougher legislation on cruelty and neglect of animals, given that at present, pet protection laws are within the jurisdiction of regional governments, meaning there are 17 different ones in place and not all of them are suitably effective.
Parliament has approved a motion to call for the central government to crack down on animal mistreatment, but Sra Montero says it is unlikely to come into effect very quickly.
She says she and Avaaz will send the petition to the ministry of agriculture once it has reached 200,000 signatures, and hopes that the public voice will compel the government into urgent action 'in time to save the lives of thousands of pets'.
As well as stiffer criminal sentences for ill-treatment and neglect of animals, the new law is expected to cover population control – such as sterilising and neutering feral cats – and place a ban on any dog pounds or rescue centres putting animals down unless they are actually suffering incurably and it would be cruel to keep them alive.
Sra Montero – author of bestselling novels such as History of a transparent king, Trembling, Beautiful and dark, Beloved master, The Tartar's heart and Lovers and enemies, as well as being a regular columnist in national daily broadsheets – says July and August are the 'worst' months for pets being abandoned since this is the height of the breeding season and also a time when owners go on holiday, with some having few scruples about leaving their cats and dogs to fend for themselves and starve.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com