The mounted police service in Palma has been sent a complaint report regarding the condition of horses used for pulling carriages. The animal-rights party Progreso en Verde initially made a report to the neighbourhood police, who have forwarded this for investigation by the mounted police.
Guillermo Amengual, president of Progreso en Verde, says that the horses are not in the right health condition to be "exploited on the streets". "A simple look at the horses is enough to see that they are not well. We thank the neighbourhood police for transferring the investigation to the mounted police. These horses can't be out on the streets a single more day."
Amengual is demanding that Palma town hall urgently processes a new bylaw governing the carriages and is telling the parties that comprise the ruling administration - PSOE, Més, Podemos - to abide by election promises made regarding an end to the exploitation of horses.
After six years in power, Amengual notes, the exploitation continues. After months locked up in their stables, the horses are returning to the streets in "deplorable condition". "We are asking for an urgent review of their health and that they are well fed and in good hygiene conditions in their rest areas."
The party has meanwhile sent letters to the European Parliament and the European Court. It is calling on Europe to help put an end to a situation which is unworthy of the twenty-first century. "The suffering of horses in the summer season is devastating. Each year, horses collapse in the street due to heat stroke. Is this the image want for our country?"