This is the life of hunting dogs in Spain

In January 2022, AnimaNaturalis and CAS International documented 28 dog kennels used for hunting. During the investigation, we found animals living in their own excrement, with dirty or frozen water, exposed to inclement weather and with stereotypes produced by captivity.

In Spain there are 337,326 hunting licenses issued, which makes it the third most federated activity, despite having suffered a 30% decrease since 2005. However, there are many non-federated activities that are much more practiced in the same natural spaces. . According to data from the National Statistical Plan of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, 15.8% of citizens went hiking, 15.5% went running, but only 1.4% of the Spanish population went hunting at least one time during the year 2020.

The hunters’ collective is also famous for the miserable conditions in which they keep their dogs. This is precisely the group responsible for the largest number of abandoned dogs in Spain. In Catalonia alone, more than 60% of the dogs that are abandoned in shelters come from hunting activities. In addition, each year, the abandonment of between 50,000 and 80,000 greyhounds coincides with the end of the hunting season. This is a very high figure considering that the protectors collect a total of 285,000 animals annually.

When reviewing the material collected during our investigation, consulted veterinarians detected unsanitary conditions, poor and dangerous facilities, excrement in the rest areas, water in poor condition and even living with corpses in the same kennels. The dogs showed stereotyped movements resulting from prolonged captivity, chains that limit natural movement and development, nervousness and irritability, and other signs of poor health, such as lameness and restlessness.

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