Spain Has New Animal Rights Law Excludes Hunting Dogs

Illustration of a hunting dog. (Unsplash/seth schulte)

JAKARTA - Spain's parliament earlier this month passed a controversial new animal rights law that excludes hunting dogs and other animals used in traditional rural activities, which critics say favor the country's powerful hunting lobby. That.

This law will change the treatment of pets and wild animals in captivity, banning the sale of pets in shops, imposing prison sentences for perpetrators of animal abuse, and turning zoos into wildlife recovery centers.

At the last minute, junior ruling coalition partner Unidas Podemos, which has advocated for the inclusion of hunting dogs, backed the law for passage and asked for forgiveness from those fighting to protect hunting dogs.

"Not including hunting dogs in this law is tantamount to letting the perpetrators of violence go unpunished," Social Rights Minister Ione Belarra of Unidas Podemos told lawmakers.

"We have gone as far as we can with the strength we have," he continued.

Earlier, the heated debate raged for weeks within Spain's left-wing coalition, after the ruling Socialist Party withdrew in December in regulating the hounds, fearing the issue would push rural voters towards right-wing parties in this year's general election.

The poaching industry in Spain is valued at around 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) a year and has a strong lobbying position.

Spain's Royal Game Federation, which represents 337,000 hunters, argued parts of the bill, which aims to reduce the number of abandoned animals, would legalize the loss of hunting with dogs in practice.

However, Socialists hailed the law as a "historic advance" and argued it would protect all animals from abuse and neglect, though it did not specifically address hunting dogs.

To note, around 167.000 dogs were abandoned in Spain in 2021. Most were after the hunting season ended, according to the Barcelona-based Affinity Foundation.

Meanwhile, dog rescue groups say the law is important to prevent owners from abandoning their dogs who are no longer fit for hunting.

Separately, several charities coordinate foreign adoption of abandoned hunting dogs, such as the 'galgo' greyhound.