Animals were not given any food or water inside the cramped cages, neighbors told police.
Animals were not given any food or water inside the cramped cages, neighbors told police.
FEBRUARY 17, 2021 — Dozens of cats have been rescued after they were found crammed into a small, dirty cage with no access to water or food at an unregistered shelter on Feb. 11.
The Spanish National Police in collaboration with the Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA) found the cats in the city of Arganda del Rey which is located in the Central Municipality of Madrid, Spain.
“The #SEPRONA Rivas Vaciamadrid has intervened with a protector + 50 cats in deplorable hygienic-sanitary conditions,” tweeted the Spanish National Police. “They were crammed into 10 m. square, with humidity, without light or water. The Local Police and the City Council of Arganda del Rey have collaborated in the action.”
The police said in a statement that they were tipped off about the situation by a concerned neighbor claiming that they had noticed a large group of cats being kept in poor conditions.
The authorities followed up the discovery and identified the owner of the building as a resident of Madrid city. The statement confirmed that the owner is a woman but did not name her or give any other details.
Further investigations revealed that the woman had converted the building into an animal shelter, however, she had failed to acquire the documents legally required by the city council to open such an establishment and was failing to care for the pets properly.
SEPRONA confirmed in the statement that the conditions within the ‘animal shelter’ were in complete disarray.
The animals were suffering from high levels of stress, had no access to clean water, and were in very poor physical condition.
The main animal welfare legislation in Spain, Law 32/2007, was enacted in order to comply with European Union Legislative requirements on farm animal protection and to give a base level of protection across the Autonomous Communities and Cities.
“The Act covers vertebrate animals that are used in production, animals used in scientific research and education,” said Animal Protection Index in a report. “But excludes companion animals, wild animals (including in captivity), bullfighting, hunting, and fishing. The Act covers the care of animals throughout their entire life on the farm, during transportation, and at the time of slaughter, through the incorporation of the relevant European Union Directives and Regulations on this subject, which contain a high level of detail in relation to certain activities and species.”
Spain allows the slaughter of non-stunned animals, as well as the culling of stray animals, although there are some localized bans. The scope of application of Law 32/2007 is very much restricted to animals who are considered to bear an economic value, which creates an obstacle to improving animal welfare overall for all other categories of animals.
(Edited by Saptak Datta and Vaibhav Vishwanath Pawar)
