Malaga Animal Centre Hits Target of Putting Down No Abandoned Animals

The Malaga Municipal Animal Health Centre has hit its target of putting down no abandoned animals.

THE animal centre in Malaga has reached its target of putting down no abandoned pets.
According to Spanish newspaper Sur, the Municipal Animal Health Centre’s figures showed it had reached its commitment to putting down no abandoned pets.
Only two animals had to be put down during the first three months of the year, both for illness reasons.
Councillor for Environmental Sustainability Gemma del Corral said the figures were the result of working with charities and improved public awareness.
She said: “If we consolidate these data in the coming quarters, Malaga will be a city of zero sacrifice; the next step will be to achieve zero abandonment, which is the key to not having to sacrifice any animal.”
The Malaga animal centre had previously euthanised large numbers of abandoned pets, with 1,982 animals slaughtered in 2011.
Since then, the number of abandoned pets in Malaga has declined every year, resulting in a 93 per cent drop in the number of dogs being put down, from 1,093 in 2011 to 78 in 2020.
The centre says it now only euthanises animals for health reasons.
Councillor del Corral said the reduction in deaths came following help from animal charities, including the Society for the Protection of Animals, Dogs of Malaga, AMAN and Ciriana.
Adoption figures had also continued to improve, with adoption of dogs accounting for 16 per cent of income in 2011, to 27 per cent last year.
The new state and Andalucian regulations on animal welfare and protection which are currently being approved include many of the measures and policies that Malaga has implemented for years, including canine DNA for identifying animals.