Manuel Molina, president of the ABADA association of lawyers for animal rights in the Balearics, believes that legislation was a key factor in the deaths of 27 hunting dogs in an adapted van that arrived on a ferry in Palma on Saturday.
He refers to the Animal Protection Law that was drafted between 2021 and 2023. When this was finally approved, hunting dogs were excluded from the general protection and welfare standards established for companion animals. "The government preferred to appease and give in to pressure groups, such as hunters."
Molina isn't for one moment suggesting that hunters mistreat their animals, but rather that these dogs are "completely unprotected" and can still be treated as "objects". "What has happened is a direct result of deliberately excluding hunting dogs from the Animal Protection Law."
The Guardia Civil's Seprona division is continuing its investigation to determine whether the deaths resulted from a combination of accidental events or from negligence on the part of the worker responsible for the dogs' well-being during the journey.
The hunters, deeply affected by the loss of their animals, clearly point to the responsibility of the company (WeTravelHome) and the employee in charge. "He was responsible for their care and did not intervene or offer any assistance" after the tragic occurrence. The company, it has been explained, was contracted by the hunters after the breakdown of the vehicle with trailer they had been using. The hunters argue that "if it had been possible, the animals would have travelled under our supervision and would still be with us".
The company, for its part, is "very distressed". Their lawyer says: "After fifteen days caring for the dogs, they knew them individually, were very fond of them, and feel the loss as their own." The lawyer goes on to explain that the vehicle was functioning perfectly and that the employee "strictly followed the instructions given by the ferry company and went up on deck without being able to remain with the dogs". Vehicle owners can only go down to the hold accompanied by ferry employees and are not allowed to remain there for the entire journey. "The employee did carry out checks during the trip, always accompanied."
The bodies of the dogs were taken to the Natura Parc Foundation. Twenty have been cremated. The other seven are awaiting necropsies to determine if they died from asphyxiation, heat exhaustion, or some other cause. It was earlier reported that necropsies weren't felt to be necessary because it appeared that the dogs had suffocated; the other nine dogs in the van were unconscious.
The foundation's director, Mariano Mas, who has been engaged in the transport of animals for some thirty years, says: "Ventilation is one of the most important factors. If it's not an open vehicle, the doors must be left open or an alternative cooling system activated."