Winning the battle
El Refugio del Burrito, joined forces with local animal welfare associations Solúcar, PACMA and Ecologistas en Acción and have finally won the battle to stop cruelty against donkeys at The Feria de la Manzanilla, a Festival in Southern Spain, by having the Council ban the use of animals on the beach.
For a number of years, Spanish Registered Donkey Charity, El Refugio del Burrito, together with local animal welfare associations, have been investigating and denouncing the cruelty and abuse against donkeys that could be rented illegally at the Beach, during the Feria de la Manzanilla celebrations in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
During this Festival, some local donkey owners used to walk through the town with a group of about thirty donkeys, to rent them out during the night so people could ride them. None of the owners were licensed to offer this service. Very late at night, these donkeys were rented out and ridden by youngsters who inflicted them all sorts of abuse and cruelty. The owners never tried to stop them at any point to guarantee the animals’ welfare.
Last April, a meeting was held with Council Representative for Local Festivals in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, at the Associations’ request. At the meeting, he was informed about the investigation results and the responsibilities the Council may have regarding this matter. In the end, the Council Representative agreed to ban the renting of donkeys on the beach. The Board of Local Security for the Festival, would ensure the necessary measures were taken so this wouldn’t happen again.
El Refugio del Burrito, a nation-wide charity dedicated to the welfare of donkeys and mules is proud to collaborate with local associations.Iván Salvía, General Manager for El Refugio del Burrito, said: “ We are so pleased that by collaborating with local Animal Welfare Associations we can try and stop similar cases in the country, and I am also very happy to have won this battle. Thanks to this collaboration, at long last, no donkey has suffered at this particular Festival and many more could be protected in the future."