Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
MALAGA has finally moved to ban horse-drawn tourist carriages in the city with immediate effect – with the fate of the animals yet to be determined.
Animal rights activists have been campaigning for years to get this decision. They claim that it is animal abuse.
The horses’ complaints center around the punishing temperatures of summer, the dangers they face when navigating the city traffic and the physical strain that they must endure.
Malaga mayor Francisco De la Torre announced that the decision was made ‘with the welfare and safety of the animals in mind’.
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“From today, there will no longer be horse-drawn carriages as a tourist transport in Málaga,” he announced.
“We took this step to ensure the safety and welfare of the animals. The 25 carriages still operating in the city will no longer operate.”[, and] “The City Council has come to an agreement with the licence holders.”
Each of the 25 license holders have been offered €125,380.48 as compensation due to the ban – but there are no confirmed plans for the 61 working horses’ futures.
The Animalist Party PACMA expressed concern about the fact that no discussion was held on the future of the working horse as recent as May.
The group demanded that the City Council assume direct responsibility for the ‘life, health and well-being of the horses involved’.
To guarantee this, the PACMA proposed that the horses be given a ‘dignified retirement’ through the creation of adapted municipal facilities where they can live in semi-freedom.
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They could be moved to private sanctuary.
PACMA has offered to assist in the management of the transfer from public sanctuaries if that is the preferred option. They have stressed, however, that their services must be complementary, as relocation can take several months.
Malaga City Council did not address the issue of what would happen to horses if they accepted this offer.
De la Torre announced in January that they were aiming to implement the ban by the end of 2018. Originally, the Council intended to have the horse-drawn tourists carriages banned in 2035.
PACMA has questioned the huge jump in the license redemption fee; today’s price of €125,380.48 is significantly higher than the €45,000 that was previously offered to license holders.
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Malaga had 55 licenses for horse-drawn carriages in 2018, three years after the initial redemption fee.
Since then, 30 have been voluntarily amortized according to the agreement reached by the Local Governing Body on the 25th of May 2018.
It was due to the fact that the transport service did not match the development of Malaga, that the 25 remaining licenses were revoked earlier than expected.
Horse-drawn carts are seen today as a danger to the safety and health of both the public and animals.
A SUR poll found that 54% of respondents agreed with the decision to prohibit horse-drawn wagons. 44% disagreed and 2% were indifferent.
Today, the signs that reserved parking for horse-drawn wagons in Cortina de Muelle will be removed.
There are already marked motor cycle parking spaces along Avenida Cervantes, Paseo de los Cursos.
The horse-drawn wagons will not disappear entirely. They will still play a role at festivals and in traditions such as Malaga’s annual fair, which takes place in August.
The Olive Press is a great source for Malaga News.
