Laurence Dollimore
MORE than 1,000 pigs have drowned in Spain after being locked in their pens during a flood.
Miles de animales atrapados con el agua al cuello luchan por sobrevivir.
Gracias a vuestra presión en redes sociales, la Guardia Civil ha anunciado
que abrirá una investigación. Este desastre no puede volver a suceder.
¡Sus vidas también importan! pic.twitter.com/vvVFg7iN8H— PACMA (@PartidoPACMA) April 17, 2018
Shocking footage shared by animal rights group PACMA shows animals up their necks in water as they tried to stay afloat on a farm in Aragon.
The area had become flooded after River Ebro burst its banks.
Owners of the farm in Villafranca de Ebro had been warned there was a high chance of floods, but refused to evacuate their animals.
More than 45,000 animals from 42 other farms in the region had been evacuated after being warned.
Guardia Civil tried to save the pigs but the water was too high.
PACMA has filed complaints against the farm owners.
It said: “If they had started evacuating the pigs on time, they would have saved them.”
“We have filed a legal complaint for possible animal abuse, against the owners and/or those responsible for the animals that were abandoned and drowned at the Remolinos and Villafranca de Ebro farms, both in Zaragoza.
“They are the same farms that left their animals to die during the floods in 2015.”
“But they are not the only ones responsible. In November we presented to the Aragon Council our Animal Catastrophe Evacuation Plan.
“If they had listened to us none of this would have happened.
“In addition, on Friday we warned the Government of Aragon that there was a forecast of floods, and that it was essential that a protocol be activated to evict the animals and guarantee their safeguarding.”
The investigation continues.
If the loss of the pigs was covered by insurance, then what the hell, ” let ’em drown ” would be the apparent Spanish way with animals. How difficult would it have been to have at least opened the pens and let the poor creatures make some attempt to gain higher ground ?