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A relatively unknown hunting practice has started to tarnish the reputation of the Iberian Peninsula. Each year, thousands of "galgos" - the name given to the greyhounds used by Spanish hunters - suffer an agonising death for not bringing back enough game.
Whilst in France a campaign has recently been launched against abandoning pets, intended to coincide with the beginning of the holidays, in Spain the number of victims of the last hunting season is being counted. It is difficult to obtain precise figures but it is estimated that around 20,000 galgos are killed in atrocious conditions every year.
Spain is the only country in the European Union which has not banned "hunting with greyhounds", a type of hunting which involves the dogs killing game for their masters. In the rest of Europe, hunting dogs are only used for chasing the game out of the undergrowth, into the path of the hunters.
At the end of every hunting season, the Spanish hunters, called "galgueros", get rid of the dogs which did not bring back any game. This ritual is meant to "restore the honour" of the hunter, who "punishes" his dog for its poor performance.
To do this, the galgueros do their utmost to torture their dogs, subjecting them to slow hanging, immolation, asphyxiation, poisoning...These customs are condemned by animal protection associations, which are trying to find sanctuaries for greyhounds abroad until such practices are banned in Spain.
Mo Swatek is a Swiss national, living in Spain between Tarragona and Barcelona. She is the founder of the Pro-Galgo association.
A relatively unknown hunting practice has started to tarnish the reputation of the Iberian Peninsula. Each year, thousands of "galgos" - the name given to the greyhounds used by Spanish hunters - suffer an agonising death for not bringing back enough game.
Whilst in France a campaign has recently been launched against abandoning pets, intended to coincide with the beginning of the holidays, in Spain the number of victims of the last hunting season is being counted. It is difficult to obtain precise figures but it is estimated that around 20,000 galgos are killed in atrocious conditions every year.
Spain is the only country in the European Union which has not banned "hunting with greyhounds", a type of hunting which involves the dogs killing game for their masters. In the rest of Europe, hunting dogs are only used for chasing the game out of the undergrowth, into the path of the hunters.
At the end of every hunting season, the Spanish hunters, called "galgueros", get rid of the dogs which did not bring back any game. This ritual is meant to "restore the honour" of the hunter, who "punishes" his dog for its poor performance.
To do this, the galgueros do their utmost to torture their dogs, subjecting them to slow hanging, immolation, asphyxiation, poisoning...These customs are condemned by animal protection associations, which are trying to find sanctuaries for greyhounds abroad until such practices are banned in Spain.
In Spain, hunting with greyhounds is not simply a tradition but a national sport, particularly in regions like Castile and Léon, Castile-La Mancha, and Andalusia. There are two types of hunters: individual hunters and those who belong to the National Group of Hunters. As well as killing the dogs at the end of the season, the galgos are also mistreated or tortured after a defeat during a tournament or competition, as is the case for coursing.
We have great difficulty fighting against these practices and the victimisation of the galgos for two reasons. Firstly, the authorities are very lax when it comes to this subject. If you want to denounce the murder or torture of an animal, the local police will not lift a finger, if you want a reaction you have to call the Guardia Civil (national guard). As for bringing the matter before a court, that's an entirely different ball game. Secondly, many Spanish politicians are amateur hunters and do not want to be deprived of their pleasure.
Our association is based in Catalonia, a region that is pro-European and known for having quite progressive views on various subjects. [The Catalan Parliament is well on the way to passing a law banning bullfighting].
So if we struggle to stop these practices here, imagine what it must be like in the southern regions where hunting is widely practised! In these regions, the hunters are often influential people and people dare not denounce a neighbour for torturing his dog for fear of being attacked or having their house burnt down! This is not an exaggeration.
To put a stop to these cruel acts, the European Union must decide to impose an outright ban on hunting with greyhounds, with no exceptions. No doubt the law will see a lot of dogs abandoned, but surely that's better than torture?
At the same time, the authorities need to take the time to ensure that individual hunters are meeting the sanitation requirements. When we established our animal sanctuary, we had to deal with an enormous number of formalities: application forms, paperwork, sanitation regulations etc. The galgueros do not have to comply with any of these demands. Such a system is necessary to bring an end to the agony of the Spanish greyhounds."
Read original article Warning: disturbing photographs
Mo and Pro-Galgo can be contacted at pro-galgo@total- barcelona. com and their English site is at http://progalgoengl ish.wordpress. com/
The two organizations in Spain that we have had long term positive working relationships are Scooby........north of Madrid and
sosgalgos - in Barcelona.
Here's what Beryl has told us about her recently published book:- "My book is a definitive guide to the Galgo Espanol, I don't think there is another one on the market, I haven't found one. I explore the breed from ancient history to present day, methods of disposal, dog pounds and killing stations, diseases, EU and Spanish Animal Welfare Acts - including ones which could be used to stop the maltreatment of galgos - Spanish and International Rescue Associations, educating the young, and how to solve the problem in which I discuss banning racing and hunting with galgos.
There is also a chapter on the racing and hunting federations, in which I attack them for not putting an end to what they do, and to this chapter is added an extract (about 4 pages) from a report presented by Beatrice Monnet of L'Europe des Levriers, the association I mainly work with) to the European Commission calling for a ban on hunting with galgos. I also mention the GRGB and the fact that they claim reports of maltreatment to greyhounds are isolated incidents and that the rescue associations and GA can absolutely prove otherwise, and I attack the government, regional, provincial and municipal authorities for doing nothing about it and also, without actually using the word 'corrupt' show how corrupt it all is because judges, police etc are also hunters and will not take the steps necessary to help stamp out hunting with galgos.
My book is intended to expose, publicise and explain to everyone in one source (there's plenty of lots of different websites, but not all together in one source) how the problem of the galgos - especially hanging them from trees - has come about and to shame Spain into doing something about it." We recommend this book to all our supporters and everyone who is concerned about the plight of greyhounds and galgos. It's currently available as an ebook and the printed version will be published on June 14th. For more info and to order your copy, click on the links below. A percentage of the proceeds will go towards galgo protection.
From: Galgo Rescue <mailto:galgorescue@galgorescue.org>
To: Galgo Rescue <mailto:galgorescue@galgorescue.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2010 2:43 PM
Subject: Food crisis at Scooby Medina!
Dogs Cannot Live By Bread Alone!
Dear GRIN Friends, we reach out to you today to ask that you read this plea below from the Scooby Medina Shelter.
GRIN founder Abby Christman and Veterinarian friend Jason Cordeiro will be going to Scooby at the end of April, and it would be awesome to take the shelter a sizable donation from their GRIN friends and supporters in the U.S. We hope that there will be a way to resolve this huge problem in the near future, but for now, the dogs need to eat. You can donate through GRIN at www.galgorescue.org alternatively, you can donate directly through the Scooby website at www.scoobymedina.org. Thank you, and we will keep you informed about the situation when the GRIN volunteers return.
Best regards,
Chris
Board Member
GRIN
FOOD CRISIS AT SCOOBY - PLEASE HELP!
Dear Friends,
We are reaching out to you at a very critical time at our shelter. The dogs desperately need our help at this time. We are very close to disastrous food crisis for the dogs.
The dogs at Scooby are fed a diet of raw chicken, ground up and mixed with bread and also dry dog food on days when we don't have chicken. We get the chicken for free but there is now a new law that is being passed in Spain that all chicken carcasses must be destroyed and cannot be used by anyone. This is a huge waste and also a very big problem for Scooby, because this was our source of free food at the shelter since the beginning.
As you can imagine, feeding over 300 dogs on a daily basis is a lot food. There is no possible way that we can afford to purchase dog food for this many animals.
At this time, we are asking for you help of donations to buy food so we can feed the dogs that are currently at the shelter. Of course donations of dog food are accepted as well.
Sadly, the reality is, if we cannot feed the animals, we can't operate, and if we can't operate, we cannot continue to do the work that we have been doing. Even worse, we will have euthanize dogs that have simply no chance for adoption as we won't be able to afford to maintain such large numbers at the shelter.
Your support, no matter how big or small can literally save a life in this situation. We are looking into several options to this situation to see if we purchase the carcasses for a discounted price and other alternatives. But as you know, these things take time and this moment, we don't have the time.
The dogs need to eat. We need you. Please help us during this difficult time.
Thank you.
Please support our work -
DONATE TODAY!
2/02/2010 Thousands of healthy greyhounds will be brutally killed this month as Spanish hunters carry out an annual slaughter.
Campaigners say 50,000 greyhounds - used in hare coursing but considered worthless by their owners after two seasons - will die.
British expat Anna Clements, 40, who runs Barcelona-based charity SOS Galgos, said: "It is absolutely heartbreaking."
Scooby Refuge is a leading association dealing with the rescue of Galgos (Spanish Greyhounds) in Spain and the largest shelter in the country for all sorts of animals. Scooby started out in 1987 as a shelter under poor conditions, providing refuge for the stray cat and dog population and the numerous Galgos (Spanish bred sighthounds) discarded mainly by the local coursing fraternity in the area of Medina del Campo, Valladolid. Scooby is being lead since years by its honorary president Fermín Pérez, in daily life a science teacher at the main senior school in Medina del Campo.
Tens of thousands of Galgos are bred annually in Spain in the hope of producing the national coursing champion. Medina del Campo is the focal point for those with a coursing interest in Spain. Many galgueros (breeders and owners of Galgos) live in Medina del Campo and its environs. For the galgueros it was an annual tradition to kill their Galgos by hanging them en masse in the pine forests in and around Medina del Campo at the end of the coursing season (January/February).
After Fermín made the world aware of the situation, the association has grown out through the years. What began in an old ruin with bed frames as fencing, and an old warehouse, both without electricity, heat or water, has moved into a new refuge facility, with the help of international supporters dedicated to Scooby and its important work. Since the past years the galgueros started to bring their unwanted Galgos to the Scooby shelter with the result that on average Scooby houses about 450 dogs, mainly Galgos. Scooby re-homes a limited number of Galgos and some of the mixed breed dogs via small partner organizations in Europe.
Work is always in progress, however, the new facility became a centre everyone is extremely proud of. Over time the Scooby shelter has expanded in terms of size, (volunteer) workers from several nationalities and a steady stream of voluntary helpers, domestic and from abroad. In turn,
Scooby has gradually been able to start tackling another problem, that of factory farming and environment. The overall objective of this project is to construct an education centre at its property. On a very small scale, Scooby has taken in ducks, geese, battery hens, sheep, goats, pigs, ponies, and more. In addition, the Donkey Sanctuary (Sidmouth, UK) has established an agreement whereby Scooby is used as holding station for donkeys en route to the Donkey Sanctuary’s shelter, El Refugio del Burrito, in Fuente de Piedra in Spain.
Scooby is a privately-owned refuge, the largest safe haven in Spain for all sorts of animals, which means that without the help of supporters from Spain and everywhere around the world, it would not be able to exist.
The weekend of August 31, 2008, a date that won’t be easily forgotten in the history of Scooby. Our first international event, held in Vlamertinge, Belgium, was a central meeting point for the members of Scooby, our partner organizations and our supporters. The weather gods really must like Galgos, because we can call it a miracle that summer appeared that weekend after a long period of rain, and 15 minutes after we left Vlamertinge to go back to our hotel it started raining again. In between we had two wonderful days with sun and a comfortable temperature for a partly outdoors event.
It all started on Saturday, at the hotel that was booked for most of the Scooby members and partner organizations. As the day went on our group became more and more a blended mix of nationalities. People arrived from everywhere; travelling either by car, train, ferry, metro or plane. And the cream on the cake was the arrival of María and Edu with the transport van with Fermín and Mabel as mental support. They arrived after a tour that began in Spain through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, back through Belgium with final destination of Lille in France, just across the Belgian border and not far from Vlamertinge where the event was being held. Some huge traffic jams had caused an enormous delay for the transport that was planned the same weekend. Fermín and Mabel, who left Medina 6 hours later, caught them on their way to Belgium. The decided to caravan with Maria and Edu and finally arrived in Lille after driving 24 of 30 hours,
After everyone finally arrived, it was time to create an impressive caravan of cars, looking for a restaurant that allowed dogs. With our French Aline and our Canadian Eva as fantastic guides, we arrived 45 minutes later at the place that was just 2 kilometres away from our hotel, so we were all very grateful to them for showing us around the local surroundings. Nevertheless this didn’t break our moral and it was a very joyful evening.
The next morning the alarm bell was showing no mercy, and after breakfast we arrived at 9:30 in Vlamertinge to join our friend the Tornados to prepare the special day where it was all about, the celebration of the 20th anniversary. Maria Daines and Paul Killington performed a minimal sound check because everything was perfectly prepared, just as everything else was. Soon everyone was prepared for the start of the event, meanwhile our friends from the other organizations, who departed from home very early in the morning, arrived. And as said before, the weather was perfect; the information and merchandise stalls were placed outside in front of the event complex. Inside were hundreds of tables and chairs for the lunch buffet, the stage for speeches and the performance, and everything else that was included in this event.
Right after everyone was welcomed by Marlies from the Tornados and Fermín, the event started off with the lunch buffet, the dog walk and last but not least the stunning performance by Maria and Paul. Maria sang her moving songs with so much emotion that it didn’t take much imagination to understand why she was wearing sun glasses, and soon many people in the audience wished they had followed her example. Between all the festivities it was good to be reminded of the reasons why Scooby exists, so many thanks to Maria and Paul for raising awareness. Speaking of which, it was a bit of a disappointment to realize that Mr. David Hammerstein, member of the European Parliament, didn’t appear. After we had been in contact with him, he showed enthusiasm and told us that he would accept our invitation to join our event and help us raise awareness for the problems with Galgos in Spain. We expected the worst, after we were not able to reach him to get a confirmation, but were still hopeful that he would have kept his promise. It seems that Galgos are still not high on his priority list, but we will keep fighting until we are heard and the problems are taken seriously.
However it didn’t spoil the party at all. The people enjoyed themselves, for us, Scooby and our partner organizations, it was fantastic to meet our supporters and each other. It was great to see so many adopted dogs, coming from all over Europe to our anniversary. And thanks to all, the Tornados donated a check for 2,200 Euros. Our own Scooby shop, our partner organizations and even some very kind supporters sold all sorts of things, even marmalade; that resulted in a total amount of over 5,000 Euros. But above all, this event made us realize how many people care, an gave us an indescribable boost for our moral.
These are photos of the party we recently held at our new facility. There's also an office and a room for the charity shop and we are really pleased about it. We are going to be working on some new projects with children from the local orphanage and also the old people's home to come and be with the galgos and hopefully get the town hall more involved and wanting to subsidise some of it.
SOS Galgos was established in 2000 in Barcelona, Spain from our veterinary practice Tres Vet Clinica Veterinaria. Its founders, Anna Clements and Albert Sordé met in Barcelona ten years ago when Anna was teaching at a local school and her dog fell sick. Thanks to Sooty, their friendship grew into love and they married in 1995.
SOS Galgos' board members are formed by 3 vets and 2 nurses. Maria Teresa Martínez Lao is vice president and based in Seville in southern Spain. A senior nurse, Maria Teresa's consulting room walls are covered with before and after photographs of galgos she has rescued off the street and which are now happily rehomed in Barcelona, 1000 kms away. Every patient that goes into that room, comes out having learned a lot about the galgo as a companion animal. Maria Teresa has recently carried out the first adoption in her region, of a galgo (read Pirata's story for more information).
Emilia Perez Troya is secretary to SOS Galgos. Emilia, known to us all as Emi, is a veterinarian and works as part of our team in our veterinary practice. She is owner of galga Nebula and is a greyhound person. Her professional manner makes us proud to have her among us.
Joan Carles Perez is SOS Galgos' treasurer. Joan Carles is also a veterinarian who is a great lover of nature. A scuba diving instructor, veterinarian of farm animals in the mornings, quality control officer of a cheese factory and veterinarian of companion animals in the afternoons at his practice and home on the Balearic island of Menorca. A gentle and patient person, Joan Carles always has time for those most in need.
Albert Sordé is executive director and co-founder of SOS Galgos, director of veterinary practice Tres Vet and playing a major part in legislation at the Official Veterinary Body of Barcelona where he is board member as representative of veterinarians of companion animals and treasurer. Albert spends much of his time striving to improve animal welfare standards for companion animals, a much needed task in Spain.
Barcelona is situated in the region of Catalunya in the north east of Spain. Catalunya is often the pioneer in laws and although it is still well behind other European countries in animal welfare standards, due to the economic revenue brought by the bullfighting and hunting industries which are preventing laws from being passed, Catalunya has much political influence over the rest of Spain, thus pulling the region of Madrid to follow, Madrid being the capital and where the leading political party - the PP (pronounced Pepe) - is based.
Anna Clements, president of SOS Galgos was a teacher for nine years and teacher trainer for four. She specialized in teaching English as a third language at preschool. Throughout the years she combined giving talks to schools on animal welfare, which she continues to do (see attached cover letter to schools for more information). She put teaching English on pause in order to work as a veterinary nurse at Tres Vet veterinary practice and co-found SOS Galgos.
SOS GALGOS was guest of honour at the Blessing of the Animals at Monaco Cathedral, an event which takes place every year all round the world in remembrance of St Francis’ love of animals.
SOS GALGOS was guest of honour at the event which took place on 3rd June and was attended by Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Antoinette. SOS GALGOS had a stand in front of the cathedral where three abandoned Spanish greyhounds rescued from Jaen, Cadiz and Seville acted as ambassadors for the thousands of greyhounds that suffer abuse and cruelty in Spain every year.
Present at this important event were Carmen Urbano (President of SOS GALGOS), Anna Clements, (Director), Mireia Costa (Secretary), Silvia Puig and Lola Bustillo (volunteers) to form a great team, informing attendees of the plight of greyhounds in Spain and the indifference of the Spanish and European authorities in the face of such abuse. Anna Clements took the liberty of asking Prince Albert of Monaco if she could have her photo taken with him. He kindly agreed and Anna spoke to him of the horrific cruelty committed towards Spanish greyhounds, an injustice of which he was already aware and he offered us his full support. Many who attended the event congratulated our efforts and made generous donations to support our objectives of rescuing and re-homing mistreated greyhounds and carrying out legislative and educational campaigns to increase awareness and promote animal welfare in Spain.
The trip was made possible thanks to Tuscia Cole Triossi who personally adopted Yeza (now called HoneyBee), Beatriz Orleans Borbón who was very active on the SOS Galgos stand, Affinity Foundation who sponsored our attendance and Esplugues local council.
Juan Jesus Portillo Ramos, part time shelter manager for the Mancomunidad de Municipios Sierra de Cadiz, is desperately trying to save the lives of 50 Spanish greyhounds [galgos] abandoned by their owners at the end of the hunting season. Mancomunidad is the only municipal animal shelter serving 21 towns in the county of Cadiz in the Andalusia region of southern Spain.
The emaciated dogs are suffering from overwhelming tick and flea infestations; many of them are scarred from beatings and gunshot wounds inflicted by their former owners. Portillo, 25, who takes in a small percentage of galgos each year, usually sends them to the greyhound refuge in Medina del Campo, but the refuge is already beyond capacity. In desperation, Portilla turned to the Internet to beg for help from greyhound rescue organizations worldwide.
He contacted the American-European Greyhound Alliance (AEGA) in early February. AEGA is an international organization led by Louise Coleman, who is also the founder and director of Greyhound Friends in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.
AEGA sent cash to Barcelona-based Anna Clements of SOS Galgos for food and necessary medicines for the Cadiz dogs. Through arrangements made by Clements, Portillo received 26 bags (each weighing 20 kilograms) of good quality dry food, enough to feed the dogs for 17 days. In addition, Clements sent 1,000 tablets of doxycycline, 500 tablets of amoxicillin, Panacur, anti-diarrheal tablets, and a shipment of coats to keep the dogs warm.
In an email message to Clements on Feb. 24, Portillo told her he had been called at 11:00 p.m. the night before to pick up a galgo 50 kilometers away. When he arrived he saw men beating the dog. The men ran away and Portillo brought the savagely beaten dog back to the shelter to give him what care he could with his limited means.
"We have named him Revelation because he revealed to the world the cruelty suffered," he wrote. The following day he reported that Revelation "could not be saved from the injuries inflicted on him and has been mercifully put to sleep. He was let go from this world of suffering, torture and pain and is hopefully in a better place now. At least he felt a caring hand the last days of his life."
Through the efforts of Clements, 15 of the hounds were transported to a commercial boarding kennel in Ecija on March 23. Donations to AEGA are financing vet care and daily boarding fees for the dogs.
Agence France-Presse photojournalist John Mottern traveled to Cadiz in early March to photograph the abandoned hunting dogs. His article and photographs were distributed worldwide on the Agence France-Presse wire to all major news outlets on March 11.
