The animal-rights party Progreso en Verde is accusing Palma town hall of not fining horse buggy infringements. The party, which will be reporting the town hall to the Guardia Civil's Seprona division over the poor condition of the horses, says that the carriage drivers are being treated favourably as their continuous infringements should attract fines of up to 9,000 euros per day.
Progreso en Verde claims that over a period of a few minutes observation, drivers were seen to be breaching municipal ordinance even when local police were passing by. The most common infringements, it is alleged, include releasing the reins when loading passengers and permitting more passengers than are allowed.
The president of Progreso en Verde, Guillermo Amengual says: "It is clear that how ever many violations are committed by buggy drivers, the favourable treatment they receive from Palma town hall means that absolutely nothing happens. On many occasions the local police have been called in order to report a violation, and they refer you to filing a complaint rather than sending a patrol to check it. This is why the drivers are so relaxed and repeatedly violate the bylaw and regulations. It is clear that for its city that is 'friendly' to animals, the town hall prefers to see a horse dying on the ground. It is terrible to see how they wash their hands, despite the town hall being informed of the horses' poor condition. It is a disgrace."
The party has asked the town hall to provide it with information regarding the age of the horses and veterinary reports. It maintains that the horses are very old and are not in a condition to be continuously exploited.