El Refugio del Burrito has welcomed the sentencing of four men who abused two mules during El Rocio, the largest pilgrimage in the Western world.

The owner of the animals, the intermediary and the two men who rented the mules were sentenced to six months in prison, a two -year ban on owning and trading animals and the payment of veterinary and upkeep costs at the Huelva Criminal Court on the last 17th of February for animal abuse.

Last 14th January we were involved in probably the worst case of neglectment of El Refugio del Burrito. We rescued more than 20 equids living amongst waste and dead bodies of other animals. We got the case thanks to an anonymous letter received by post asking for help for those animals.

When the staff arrived a horror movie scene shocked them. 21 equids were living amongst the waste and dead bodies of other animals.

When we think of Malaga in southern Spain, most of us think of sunshine, but the area was hit by heavy rain over the weekend with over 120mm failing in just 12 hours. Some of you may have seen from our Facebook page that El Refugio del Burrito placed in Fuente de Piedra (Malaga) was badly affected.

Yesterday our team battled the elements to ensure that donkeys were evacuated from flooded areas of the sanctuary as this short video clip shows.

For first time in Spain, the judge has considered a crime for each of the 10 animals that were mistreated and not for the animals as a group, which they would normally do. This has been an unprecedented sentence and has marked a milestone in animal welfare in Spain.

Five years and a half in prison and a 15 year ban on working with animals: this has been the sentence to a man that kept 18 donkeys, mules and horses in inhumane conditions causing, the death of 10 of them.