Mijas’s donkeys will be spared from carrying people over 80 kilos as Costa del Sol town brings in new welfare laws

MIJAS’S famous donkey taxis can breathe a sigh of relief – a new law means they will not be allowed to carry passengers weighing more than 80 kilos. 

It is one of the measures contained in a proposed local law for the Costa del Sol town that regulates the service. The donkey rides have been growing ever more controversial in recent years as people raise animal welfare issues. 

The ordinance aims to address people’s concerns, but it will not come into force until the new year and first has to be rubber stamped after a public consultation, although this is seen as a formality. 

The town council is tightening up veterinary controls, which will be intensified and conditions will be improved both in the stables and at the taxi ranks. 

Councillor for Transport and Mobility, Nicolas Cruz, says that all the measures in the new regulations are the result of meetings that the Town Council has held with muleteers and different animal groups. 

He says that the regulations take into account the need for animal welfare as well as the interests of the donkey handlers and the council itself. 

Director of the Refugio del Burros donkey sanctuary Veronica Sanchez said: “We are very happy to have reached this point, which includes the concept of animal welfare and its development with specific measures, which include national and European regulations. 

“It is something pioneering because they are incorporated into municipal ordinances.” 

The Department of Transport and Mobility has also announced that information and awareness-raising campaigns will be carried out. 

Cruz added that work is being done to find alternative locations to the current stables in order to “respond to the needs that the current ones do not cover, as they are facilities dating from 50 years ago and the regulations have changed a lot.”