Spain: Dispute over hunting dogs in animal protection law
Thousands of Spanish greyhounds are killed or abandoned by recreational hunters year after year.
A draft law to strengthen animal protection in Spain could ban recreational hunting with dogs.
Greyhounds of the Galgo Español breed are traditionally used in Spain to hunt hares. Once the dogs are too old for hunting, they are abandoned, thrown into wells or hung from trees. Around 50’000 Galgos are killed this way every year.
Why are people protesting against an animal protection law?
The draft law stipulates that owners of pets must train them in such a way that they do not cause harm to other animals. The Royal Spanish Hunting Association, which represents 337’000 recreational hunters, has pointed out that parts of the draft law would mean the end of hunting.
According to the Affinity Foundation, 167’000 dogs were abandoned in Spain in 2021, many of them after the end of the hunting season.
Socialist Party divided
Fearing the issue could drive rural voters towards right-wing parties, the Socialists introduced an amendment. The amendment excludes hunting dogs and other animals used in traditional rural activities.
“The Socialist Party has time to respond,” says Garcia Torres. “There is no longer any parliamentary support for a law that excludes hunting dogs.” More on the topic hunting law.
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More on the subject of recreational hunting: The scientific evidence is presented in the overview Studies on the Effects of Recreational Hunting.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
