The rescued animals pass through these centres to improve their welfare and have a temporary place to live
Last year, more than 286,000 dogs and cats were collected from the streets throughout Spain. A figure that indicates that 33 animals are found every hour, according to the Affinity Foundation’s Study of Abandonment and Adoption 2024. Some of the reasons why these animals are rescued are due to abandonment, loss, confiscation or rescue.
Where do the rescued animals end up?
Animals that wander onto public roads are usually picked up by animal protection organisations. These are ‘non-profit organisations that carry out any activity of care, rescue, rehabilitation, search for animal adoption, management of cat colonies, raising awareness of responsible ownership or legal defence of animals, registered in the Register of animal protection organisations in accordance with the provisions of this law’ according to the law Ley 7/2023, of 28 March, on the protection of the rights and welfare of animals published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado.
Furthermore, they can be distinguished according to their ownership and, in turn, according to the work they carry out. In the first case, there are private or public entities. On the other hand, in the second case, the Spanish government classifies entities into five different types based on the activities they carry out for animals. Within this distinction, the same organisation can belong to more than one type, as more than one function can be carried out at the same time.
Types of animal protection organisations
- RAC – Those that carry out rescue, rehabilitation and adoption activities for companion animals.
- RAD – Those that carry out animal rescue and rehabilitation activities that are not intended for commercial or for-profit purposes.
- RAS – Those that carry out rescue and rehabilitation activities for wild animals from captivity.
- GCOF – Those that carry out community cat colony management activities.
- DEF – Those that carry out activities to raise awareness, promote adoption and legal defence of animals.
The obligations that public centres must follow under the new law
On 29 September last year, the new Animal Welfare Law came into force with the aim of eradicating animal abuse and sanctioning those who do not comply with the new regulations. In addition, it also establishes how public animal protection centres must act in the collection and care of animals, as well as the obligations they must follow to guarantee their welfare. These actions will fall under municipal competence, as summarised in the document “Las competencias municipales en la Ley de Bienestar Animal” (Municipal competences in the Animal Welfare Law) by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP).
Obligations that public animal protection centres must follow
- Possess a zoo authorisation or licence.
- Have volunteer programmes or collaboration programmes with animal protection organisations.
- Have an animal collection service with full time availability.
- Encourage responsible adoption through awareness-raising programmes.
- Take care of the animals under hygienic and sanitary conditions and provide the adequate needs for their welfare.
- Identify and register all animals that are not registered and hand them over with an adoption contract.
- Sterilise animals before they are placed for adoption or undertake to do so when conditions are suitable.
- Comply with the minimum veterinary requirements and provide treatment if required for the surrender.
- Follow-up of the surrendered animals and check their welfare and hygienic and sanitary conditions
Another important factor is the prohibition of the slaughter of healthy animals for “economic reasons, overpopulation, lack of places, impossibility of finding an adopter within a certain period of time, abandonment of the person legally responsible, old age, illness or injury with the possibility of treatment, whether palliative or curative, due to behavioural problems that can be redirected, as well as for any other cause comparable to those mentioned above”, as stipulated in section A of article twenty-seven.
Despite the above, it is worth mentioning that this law does not cover working dogs, nor does it cover hunting or experimental animals, nor those that are not considered to be pets.
Be inspired by some animal rescue stories in the following articles: Fattoria Capre e Cavoli: a happy oasis for animals and Mexican activist Elena Larrea.
