Every month we are approached to help with alleged cases of abuse. And, no matter how much we wish to help, we are often frustrated by the systems involved. October was no exception.
First there was the case of several horses reportedly starving and kept in a ditch in Puente Genil in Cordoba Province. The police had received two denuncias and we contacted our animal rights lawyer to follow these up. The Public Prosecutor was new to the job and the judge refused to give the order to take the animals from a potentially dangerous situation. With time passing one of the horses died and was buried and we are still unable to do anything. Our animal rights lawyer is so incensed by the inefficiency of the legal system in the case that he has published an exposé in the Spanish papers. But whether we can resolve the situation remains unclear.
Nearer home, in a local village, concerned neighbours alerted us to the plight of several horses who were apparently extremely thin and living in very bad conditions. ARCH and our vet attempted to meet with the owner who refused to allow our representative on the property. Rocio, who finally did gain entry, did her best to assess the animals who were living in filth and milling around so much that we are still unable to ascertain exactly how many there are. She is preparing a report for SEPRONA who will be presenting her findings to the court. Again one of the horses had died and had been buried without the cause being proved. Another ongoing situation …..