Socidad Protectora De Animales Y Plantas de Malaga - Please Help Us Help These Animals In Need

Málaga Animal Protection Society

Socidad Protectora De
Animales Y Plantas de Malaga

The Society, established as a registered charity in 1966, has for the last 10 years been in an insufferable situation. Owing to the location of its shelter in a very poor area of Málaga, there are constant problems with the security. These include:

	Theft of animals (usually for training fighting dogs or other sadistic purposes)
	Theft of building materials
	Theft of veterinary supplies
	Attacks on animals

Help These Dogs

Theft of animals

Invariably the attackers scale the perimeter wall and call dogs to them. Usually one or two trusting animals get near enough to be lassoed and hauled up the wall. They are then taken to be put with fighting dogs for ‘training’, resulting almost always in a painful and bloody death. Very occasionally one of these stolen dogs is recovered (see Fig x in this report), and in the highly unlikely event that they survive they are later abandoned or even killed.

Help These Dogs

There is a guard at the refuge until 2 am every night, but the thieves know what time he leaves and plan their attacks accordingly. Dogs are being lost almost daily. The following is an email sent by the President of the Society last week:

"Today another dog was stolen using the ‘noose method’, whereby the thieves call the dogs from the top of the perimeter wall, and some trusting dog gets near enough to be lassoed (with a running noose), and hauled out.

Previous to this we lost another two dogs this week by the same method. Complaints to the police fall on deaf ears.

The poor dogs which are stolen are being used to train fighting dogs. I calculate that they are training a new input of fighters in view of the current apparent demand. I have heard the cries of these dogs from a distance, but I cannot approach alone in order to collect evidence of what is happening…….. I must find out where they are taking these dogs..”.

Help These Dogs

Theft of building materials

It is impossible to carry out any improvements or building work in the compound, as the neighbours, whose houses overlook the site, can see what is going on, and at the first opportunity they break in and steal whatever they can carry. Even asbestos roofing panels are stolen. As a result, there is no electricity or telephone in the refuge, as the electric meter and the handset have always been stolen as soon as they are installed, as well as the cables.

Help These Dogs

Theft of veterinary supplies

At one time there was a rudimentary veterinary clinic on the premises, but this was broken into so many times and all the drugs and medicines stolen that it has had to be abandoned. Now a vet visits the refuge regularly, bringing with him whatever he thinks will be needed.

As an aside, the conditions of the present shelter are not conducive to making animals available for adoption. Indeed the only people who personally request dogs to take away are the same as those who steal dogs for sadistic purposes, and are of course refused. People with genuinely humanitarian motives requiring dogs or cats rarely visit the refuge, and when they do, they are unsurprisingly put off by the dantian conditions they witness.

Help These Dogs

Attacks on animals

When animals are not taken for ‘training’ fighting dogs, they are merely stolen for sadistic purposes. An infamous break-in a few years ago left more than 20 dogs dead and may others mutilated with knives and axes. More recently young boys have been climbing the wall and shooting at the dogs and cats with air rifles. Three months ago someone took a couple of pit bulls and put them into the cats’ quarters; many cats were killed or injured so badly they had to be put down.

Help These Dogs

Current Situation

For some years now it has been apparent that the only solution was to move the refuge to another area where there will be no problems with the neighbours. After extensive lobbying Málaga Town Hall finally became convinced of this, and last year donated a new site to the Society in another part of the city. However the decision was more due to political considerations than humanitarian ones, as local elections take place later this year, and a large amount of hate mail was being received from overseas regarding the deplorable state of the refuge. According to one source, the mayor said in a council meeting, ‘Get these people off our backs, and make sure the work on the new shelter is started as soon as possible’. As a result, a take-it-or-leave-it offer was made to the Society: if it did not start work on the new site by a certain date, the offer of the land would be rescinded.

Consequently, work has now commenced (see photographs in this report), although there is absolutely no guarantee that it can be finished as funds are desperately lacking.

The Society has sufficient funds to be able to build the perimeter wall and part of the hard standing inside. However the absolutely priority of the whole operation – to get the animals as quickly as possible from the present site – cannot be achieved until at least some rudimentary shelters are built on the new location.

It is hoped that the new shelter when finished will have a veterinary clinic, a boarding kennels and a crematorium. These last two items will guarantee an ongoing income that will underwrite the financial future of the Society.

The chairman of the Society, José Carlos Calora , works unstintingly 7 days a week and is on call 24 hours a day. The local police contact him whenever there is a problem with any sort of animal, in addition to which he has to spend long periods at the refuge to back up the guard when there are threats of break-ins and theft of animals. He receives no remuneration for his work, and is supported by his wife, who started a small business when he became chairman, in an effort to support them both.

Currently the refuge houses nearly 500 dogs and other assorted animals.

It is anticipated that the cost will be in the region of €410,000 (£268,000 aprox). The Society already has €62,500, and Málaga municipality will provide another €88,000 next year. A Dutch animal charity will put in another €88,000, William Lodder will donate €44,000, and another private donation of €18,850 is promised, making a total of €301,350 (£197,000 aprox). The shortfall is therefore around €108,650 (£71,000 aprox), which must be raised one way or another.

The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust has kindly pledged £10,000, which will cover part of the cost of the foundations for the perimeter wall, and the Anglo-Spanish Animal Welfare Society has made two small but very welcome donations.

help these dogs and cats

ACTION DESPERATELY REQUIRED

The worst of both worlds is that the Society may be in a situation whereby it has spent all its available funds on the new refuge, but cannot get it into a situation to be able to bring the animals there from the present shelter – where they would have to stay – subject to attacks and robberies, until the new shelter were completed.

Funds are therefore urgently needed, large as well as small donations. If donors wish to control how the funds are used, they only need to appoint as local lawyer to administer them, or open a separate bank account where they are joint signatory with an officer of the protection society.

help these dogs and cats

Andrew J. Linn

help these dogs and cats

Sociedad Protectora de Animales y Plantas de Málaga
Apartado de Correos 315
29080 Málaga
Spain

Chairman: José Carlos Calora

Established 13-1-1966
Inscribed in National Register of Charitable Organisations No. 416
Fiscal Identification No. G-290229493

help these dogs and cats

Bank details:

Account 0085.0704.25.0000119896
Banco Santander Central Hispano
Marqués de Larios 8
29015 Málaga
Spain.

Málaga Animal Protection Society

Contact details for non-Spanish speakers:

Andrew J Linn
Llanos de San Ramón 3, 4-15
29600 Marbella
Spain
Tel +34 95 2773500
Fax +34 952765727
ajlinn@yorktrustgroup.com

Help These Dogs

CLICK HERE To See The Animals >>

Help These Dogs

<<HOME

Help These Dogs