Unprecedented sentence for animal cruelty: One crime for each of the mistreated animal

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.

The charges were reported by Seprona for the abuse, mistreatment and lack of basic care towards the animals. When we arrived there the scene we found was horrific . Many of the animals were already dead and in an advance state of decomposition. The smell was horrible, the surviving animals needed urgent care - some were dying of starvation, others had open wounds or deformed legs caused by being hobbled all their lives. Sadly most of them had to be directly euthanized as the only way to alleviate their suffering, and others died shortly after we rescued them due to their poor health. You can check their rescue video here: