The Pacma Animal Rights Party reported on Thursday that it has asked the Balearic government to ‘immediately’ suspend the use of firearms against goats in the Arenal d’en Castell residential area in Es Mercadal in Menorca. The party has denounced the fact that the measure has been announced without an official census or prior studies to monitor the population, which, in its opinion, ‘demonstrates the improvisation and lack of rigour of the proposal’.
In addition, they recalled that in the past, hunting parties were used without obtaining lasting results, ‘which confirms that hunting is not an effective solution for population control’. The Animal Rights Party has stressed that ‘goats occasionally approach urban areas in summer due to a lack of food and water, so it would be sufficient to implement feeding measures in their natural habitats during the most critical months, rather than resorting to culling’.
They have also warned that the use of firearms in the vicinity of inhabited areas poses a clear risk to the population, as well as being ‘disproportionate, unnecessary, unethical and allegedly illegal’ under current regulations on hunting, weapons and the protection of public safety.
For all these reasons, the party has called for the adoption of ‘ethical and non-lethal’ control methods, such as sterilisation or the provision of contraceptive feed, and has announced that it will consider ‘taking appropriate legal action’ if the regional government persists with the armed approach.
The political party concluded by pointing out that the Animal Welfare Act requires non-lethal population control measures to be prioritised. ‘Any action involving the use of weapons against goats would constitute a breach of the law,’ they stated.