24 abused dogs and a protected giant clam recovered by Malaga Guardia Civil

According to the police, the facility was not declared a zoo or livestock farm, and did not have drinking water, electricity, or sanitation. Officers found animals that were permanently tied up, and lacking food and water, as evidenced by their malnourished state and physical debilitation.

“The state of the dogs in terms of external parasite infection was alarming, especially ticks and fleas. This showed a prolonged state of infection over time”, explained a Guardia Civil spokesperson. The dogs had allegedly been fed with the remains of sheep and goat carcasses.

This is contrary to legislation in terms of managing the dead bodies of animals, beyond the fact that providing raw meat to dogs can cause different diseases.

Except for three of the dogs – which were in the name of third parties – the rest of the animals lacked health cards, which reveals the absence of veterinary assistance. The goats were lame in their hind legs, and all of them lacked identification tags, which made any type of veterinary control by the Regional Agricultural Office of the Junta de Andalucia impossible.

As a result, three people, the owners of the dogs, have been placed under investigation for an alleged crime of animal abuse. The dogs have been left at the disposal of the judicial authority, while the rest of the animals were transferred to an animal shelter for recovery.

A second action took place in the Malaga town of Alhaurin el Grande, after the force received alerts warning them of the poor condition of two dogs that were locked up on a plot of land. Two Belgian Malinoise Shepherds were found on the farm in an advanced state of anorexia.

They showed signs of malnutrition and severe external parasites that had caused numerous small bleeding wounds. One of them was suffering severe lameness in its hind limbs.

According to the Guardia Civil, the state of the installation was deficient, since it was a plot that was used as a warehouse for construction materials, with numerous sharp edges and sharp areas, representing a serious danger to animals. Despite the high temperatures, the dogs had no water provided.

Both animals were confiscated and placed at the disposal of the judicial authority, which delivered them to a zoosanitary centre for their recovery.

In another plot belonging to this same person, also with numerous construction materials, a specimen of Tridacna gigas was found. This is a species of giant clam, native to the Pacific Ocean, with a width of 75cm, to which a concrete base had been attached to be installed as a sink.

This type of bivalve is protected by Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It is necessary to have supporting documentation that the owner did not have.

The specimen was seized and made available to the authorities of the Ministry of the Environment for its study, identification, and assessment. As a result, the owner of the farm was arrested for the crimes of animal abuse and against flora and fauna.

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