So far this year, before the new Animal Welfare Law entered into force, the Guardia Civil has carried out 919 criminal proceedings for crimes against animals, in which a total of 508 people have been arrested/investigated, with a clearance rate of more than 70%.
Likewise, there have been 9,941 administrative violations of the regulations on pets and dangerous animals, in addition to another 119 violations of the regulations on import, export, trade, possession or circulation of specimens of wild fauna and flora protected in CITES.
Crimes involving illegal trafficking of protected or endangered species amount to 34, with a total of 49 people detained or investigated, and a clarification rate close to 90%.
Regarding hunting and fishing, 8,439 administrative actions and 174 criminal actions have been carried out, with a total of 169 detained/investigated and a clarification rate of 75%. In addition, 14 crimes of illegal shellfish harvesting have been detected, with 31 people detained/investigated.
Relevant operations
Among the most relevant operations is operation BUCÉFALO II, developed by the UPRONA of Murcia in which the owner of a farm was investigated for the death of 31 horses. Along with the remains of dead horses, which were in an advanced state of decomposition, there were around twenty goats, with the consequent risk of infection for these animals and for people. The person responsible for the farm had already been investigated the previous year for similar events.
Operation Reina 33, carried out jointly with the OCLAESP of the French gendarmerie, resulted in the arrest of 6 people for illegal trafficking of big cats between Spain and France. 6 specimens of serval, 2 caracal, 2 marmosets and 3 macaws were intervened, among other species protected in the CITES Convention.
In Calanda (Teruel), around 120 dogs were found in a rabbit farm in poor hygienic-sanitary conditions, whose owner had previously been convicted of a crime of animal abuse for having 544 dogs crammed into rabbit cages.
In Tenerife, the Guardia Civil seized 46 CITES specimens, including 14 invasive exotic species of concern for the Canary Islands. The owner of the farm was arrested. Another person was arrested in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, accused of animal abuse and abandonment. In the operation, 80 animals that were suffering from abuse were rescued, 15 of them dogs, which were tied with chains of less than one metre and locked in cages. All of them had a major parasitic infection (fleas and ticks).
In Valencia, 19 poisonous yellow-headed arrow frogs, which were sold illegally over the Internet, were seized. One person has been investigated for these events and in the Moratón operation, also carried out in Valencia, 25 Moorish tortoises and two other African spur turtles included in the National List of Wild Species under Special Protection Regime and in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species were intervened. There is a person investigated for the illicit possession of these animals.
EMPACT Environment
The European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) has among its priorities the fight against environmental crimes. The SEPRONA of the Guardia Civil actively participates and leads several of them and will also lead the one related to the trafficking of pet animals (especially dogs and cats), starting in 2024.
In the context of this activity, SEPRONA held, on September 5 in Madrid, a conference attended by police specialists from different EU countries and South America, as well as components of EUROPOL, the Ministry for Democratic Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) and several animal protection associations. It was concluded that the result was fruitful, since a forum was created for the exchange of information and good practices regarding a common problem. International and inter-institutional relations were promoted, jointly seeking solutions aimed at improving actions against these criminal acts.
Recommendations
Pets are living beings and should be treated with the respect they deserve. It should not be forgotten that a pet is an animal, not a person, and although it is treated with affection as another member of the family, its nature must be respected and treated and cared for in accordance with the species to which it belongs.
Animals are not a toy, so before purchasing or adopting them, the responsibility that their care entails must be taken into account, and the owner must commit to ensuring their health and caring for them appropriately.
Exotic species, sometimes highly demanded by society, can constitute a real problem when introduced into habitats that are not native, and can even cause the death and extinction of fauna in their environment. Furthermore, among these are invasive species that can constitute a real environmental problem, so when acquiring a foreign species, it must always be done with the required guarantees.
Finally, it should not be forgotten that an alternative option to purchasing a pet can be adoption. There are many animals in the care of public and private centres waiting to find a family.
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