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Date Published: 28/04/2022

ARCHIVED - British vet carries out MOT checks on Mijas donkey tourist taxis in Malaga province

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The British foundation Mijas Donkey Movement performs six-monthly veterinary checks to ensure the wellbeing of the working animals

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - British vet carries out MOT checks on Mijas donkey tourist taxis in Malaga province

Mijas donkey taxi service has been a tourist attraction in the Andalusian town for decades, but in recent years animal rights groups have put the spotlight on the plight of many of these animals who they argue are forced to work for hours without rest, sufficient shelter or water.

In 2018, Mijas Town Hall put forward a proposal to bring in laws to protect the donkeys, with weight limits for riders, protective gear for the animals, and conditions to regulate their living conditions and ensure they get adequate rest.

And since 2020, the Town Hall has been collaborating with the British foundation Mijas Donkey Movement – an independent non-profit organisation – to ensure the welfare of the 61 equines that form part of the service by carrying out bi-annual health checks.

María Bross, a veterinary surgeon from the movement, explained that every six months they check that the animals are of the correct weight, have no wounds and that their hooves are in good condition. They also visit the stables to give recommendations on what should be changed to improve animal welfare.

"In general they are doing well, although there are always things that can be improved, as we have done with the lowering of the rest bar to make them more comfortable," she said after the recent twice-yearly check-ups.

Mijas' Councillor for Mobility, Nicolás Cruz, added that in recent years they have intensified measures to "guarantee animal welfare and fight against any type of animal abuse", by promoting new regulations which, "amongst other aspects, includes limiting the weight of users and the minimum timetable and rest periods depending on the time of year".

"We are talking about a very important collaboration that in recent years has resulted in the implementation of the treatment or shoeing of hooves, as well as donations of feed, especially important in the midst of the pandemic, in which the service was totally inactive".

The council also plans to create a new stable for the donkeys, "to eliminate the existing ones in the town centre and improve the conditions of those located in the area of the Muralla".

But despite these efforts, earlier this month, Animal rights party PACMA once again condemned the "exploitation and mistreatment suffered by these donkeys used to transport tourists".

In a statement, the group slammed the fact that the animals are working from sunrise to sunset and loading passengers from morning to night, spending their few hours of 'rest' in tiny stables and with visible health problems.

"It is a clear example of institutionalised animal abuse," slammed PACMA.

Now read: Animal Protection Law in Spain gets the green light after months of delays

Image1 :PACMA

Image 2: Justicia contra el maltrato animal 2.0

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