The Animalist Party (PACMA) has filed an official grievance earlier than the Guardia Civil’s environmental safety service, SEPRONA regarding using Mules in competitions.
Apparently, Nerja held a ‘stone-dragging competitors’ utilizing mules in June final 12 months. PACMA stated after having to request 4 occasions “entry to public data” it was capable of affirm that “there is no such thing as a report of a federation regulation governing this exercise, an important requirement in accordance with Law 39/2022, on Sports, whose Article 10 establishes that the safety of animals utilized in competitions have to be assured by particular federation rules.”
According to PACMA, “if the absence of such regulation is confirmed,” the occasion, which was additionally held in 2025 and denounced by them, it “might represent a potential case of animal cruelty as outlined in Article 340 bis of the Penal Code, since it’s an unregulated exercise that will have triggered accidents to the animals utilized in it.”
In the aforementioned assertion, the Head of PACMA, Javier Luna, requested that the mandatory steps be taken to make clear the info and decide the corresponding duties, whether or not prison, administrative, or civil.
Right, so lets reduce via the gobbly gook and familiarize yourself with what the matter is. Firstly PACMA is definitely a political get together relatively than an animal rights NGO, which needs to abolish these sorts of actions involving animals. At the very least, it argues, they need to be subjected to strict controls.
As for this specific exercise that happened, it’s a contest to see what workforce can drag a bloody nice stone over a set distance within the shortest time.
PACMA considers that this ‘leisure’ constitutes animal abuse; a consideration, they are saying, that’s shared by veterinarians, and thus can not be justified underneath the guise of custom or sport.
Now, everyone knows that Spain had amongst its traditions throwing reside goats out of bell towers and ripping the heads of geese, suspended on a rope throughout a river; a ship would cross underneath, any individual would seize maintain of the chicken and cling onto it till it’s head was ripped from its physique (Boatman 1 – Goose ). Hell, there was even a priest in a single village fiesta who charged 25 pesetas per stone for the lapidation of bunny rabbits.
Closer to dwelling, in Almuñécar within the 80s when the August Fair was held the place Hotel Playa and Mercadona now stand, there was an attraction with tethered donkeys having to stroll spherical and spherical, tethered to a type of merry-go-round, with blaring music and dazzling lights, in order that youngsters might experience on them.
Things have quietened down since then, though torturing a bull to demise continues to be a vigorous passtime, subsidised by the Spanish Government due to conservatie administration after they had been in energy, bless their cotton socks.
So, again to the dragging of heavy stones by mules in a type of drag race… no, not dressed up in ladies’s clothes…. Do attempt to concentrate!
Nerja Town Hall is within the arms of a conservative mayor; a type of Teflon Don character, contemplating how he squirmed out of being despatched to jail over the illegal-dump affair.
His Sports & Popular Traditions Departments, responded final May to PACMA’s grievance, saying that the fifth Stone Pulling Competition with Mules “was held with the corresponding authorisation issued by the Junta de Andalucía,” which can also be within the arms of the conservatives underneath Prime Minister Juanma Moreno.
“Furthermore, a registered veterinarian was current throughout the competitors to make sure compliance with the established well being and animal welfare necessities,” learn the Mayor’s press launch, persevering with on to state, “Finally, in accordance with the report issued by the aforementioned skilled, the occasion proceeded with none incidents that will represent a breach of well being rules or the animal welfare requirements in pressure for one of these exercise.”
The occasion had the collaboration of the Club Cultural Equitación y Enganche San Isidro, (San Isidro Horse Riding and Carriage Driving Cultural Club) who stated that they “had all the mandatory permits and authorisations from the Vélez-Málaga Regional Agricultural Office (OCA), in addition to veterinary supervision” throughout the occasion. Fifteen contestants participated with their mules.
“The animals are working animals (beasts of burden); they aren’t pressured in any respect and If they don’t pull on the very begin, they don’t take part. Furthermore, the weights are adjusted in accordance with their age and traits.” It’s a centuries-old custom, and we attempt to preserve it alive, though there are fewer and fewer of us left,” argued this Nerja-based membership.
They additionally organised a Spanish-style driving competitors every yeare. “PACMA doesn’t complain about that,” added, with a contact of sarcasm, maybe, the driving membership.
(News: Nerja, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)
Keywords: PACMA, Mules, Pulling-Stones Competition, Guardia Civil, Seprona, Denounced.
information, andalucia, malaga, costa del sol, axarquia, nerja, PACMA, mules, pulling-stones competitors, guardia civil, seprona, denounced.
Reader’s remark: “Can I counsel, whereas we’re discussing the preservation of historic traditions, that we contemplate the revival of the shares (I’m undecided if Spain had a practice of utilizing shares as was widespread in England…) the place we might maybe maintain an annual ballot for probably the most deserving native politician who could be locked within the shares for a day and the inhabitants invited to pelt them with stale eggs, rotten fruit and so forth. Oh no I used to be forgetting, I’m positive that I learn someplace that there’s laws prohibiting one of these barbaric behaviour. It’s a pretty thought although!” – George
😉 Martin
