Barcelona man denounced in alleged abuse case of donkey being pulled by a van

IMAGES of a donkey being dragged by a man with his van in the Barcelona municipality of Corbera de Llobregat have gone viral.

As a result, the animal rights organisation, AnimaNaturalis, has offered to participate in the proceedings as part of the prosecution in an effort to gain the highest possible sentence for the alleged abuser.

The Mossos d’Esquadra and the Local Police of Corbera de Llobregat in Baix Llobregat have denounced a 64 -year-old male for dragging a donkey with his car.

When did the incident occur?

This incident occurred on the afternoon of October 28. After receiving several calls from concerned members of the public, alerting them to a person dragging a donkey with his vehicle along the BV-2421, Local Police patrols were deployed.

On arrival at the location, the police officers observed a group of people who had stopped the offending vehicle that had been pulling the animal.

Witnesses showed videos of the event, where it was clearly seen how the donkey was tied to the back of his vehicle with the back doors open. The unfortunate creature was seen to fall on several occasions as it was dragged along the road.

🇪🇸❗️Un hombre arrastra a un burro atado a su vehículo en marcha en Corbera de Llobregat (Barcelona).

El 🫏 no podía seguir la velocidad del vehículo, cayó varias veces. El responsable fue derenido gracias a la colaboración ciudadana.

✊️ ¡Denuncia siempre el maltrato animal! pic.twitter.com/lRf8eyVMhj

— AnimaNaturalis (@AnimaNaturalis) November 7, 2023

The donkey was immediately seized by the police who subsequently alerted the Regional Environmental Unit of the RPMS. The entity acted immediately, with members of the URMA initiating proceedings for animal abuse. They denounced the alleged driver of the vehicle thanks to the videos and statements provided by witnesses.

What could happen to the alleged abuser?

Cristina Ibáñez, a lawyer at AnimaNaturalis, commented: ‘Thanks to impeccable police action, the animal was quickly attended to by veterinary services who took care of the injuries caused by the dragging and informed us that it will soon be transferred to an equine recovery centre’.

‘With the current wording of the Penal Code, including the crime of animal abuse in Article 340, such a person faces penalties of up to 18 months in prison, 12 months’ fine and three years’ special disqualification’, added Ibáñez.

Who are AminaNaturalis?

AnimaNaturalis is an international animal rights organisation that has been fighting since 2003 to establish, promote and defend the rights of all animals.

Its are to eliminate or substantially reduce the suffering of animals in those sectors where they are treated with the greatest cruelty and violence, such as factory farms, animal shows, cruel traditions, the fur industry and animal testing.