Animals Rescued From Alicante Site

TWENTY-FOUR hours after the Euro Weekly News (EWN) hit the streets last week, the horses and donkeys reported on the front page story were being rescued and removed from the squalid and cramped conditions they were living in.

Euro Weekly News was the only free English-language newspaper at the premises in Callosa de Segura, Alicante, as Sue and Rod Weeding, founders of the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre (EHCRC), were joined by Veronica Sanchez from donkey sanctuary El Refugio del Burrito in Malaga and Raquel Lopez from DeAnimals specialist animal rights legal firm.

After a morning in court obtaining final paperwork, the group were accompanied by the Guardia Civil and Seprona agents to the site, who told the owners that the animals had to be removed.

Despite initial protests and delays, the horses and donkeys were gradually rounded up and taken to EHCRC in Rojales.

EHCRC took in the 14 horses they rescued straight away, with the donkeys eventually leaving for Malaga after midnight.

The new arrivals will have a big impact on EHCRC: “We need €3,000 a week to care for our animals, not including vet bills.”

Sue added that the owners also arrived at the centre later that day but left happy for them to have the horses: “This has been a very good outcome for the centre and integration with the locals is the best way forward. For them to accept we will look after the animals is a good conclusion. This case has set an example and shows that you can’t get away with keeping animals in this state.”