Jorge Alonso is an authorized voice of the hunting sector in Tenerife as a practitioner and member of the Sociocultural Association of Hunters of Canary Islands. He was on Thursday with his dogs in search of partridges in the heart of Anaga. A sample of his “love for the natural environment of the Island” in which he was born and his “passion” for what has been his hobby since he was a child. Express the rkick out of the collective to the new Animal Welfare Lawto which only one step remains for its approval in Madrid. Among other reasons, because “it puts all the animals in the same bag and that cannot be.”
“It seems perfect to us that there is a Law – he begins – that ensures that owners are responsible for maintaining it in perfect condition and condition”, but considers that “we cannot compare livestock – goats, pigs, sheep, cows, chickens… – from food farms, to the horse, the hunting dog or the bird of prey with the puppy and kitten that we have at home. They have absolutely nothing to do with it.”
Provide your example: “My dogs are in their kennels, perfectly cared for and maintained.” He adds: «They do not lack anything in their kennels, food, clean water or electricity, they are not tied, but they are not a tool; we could call them pets, but not like the ones at home. It is up to the hunter to serve them as it should be, but they cannot all be in the same bag. Alonso emphasizes: «An Animal Welfare Law that does not contemplate this difference should not even have been proposed, but, even less, approved. An expense that will only serve for the general director of Animal Welfare to justify his salary and his position; someone who is neither a technician, nor a biologist, nor a veterinarian, but a simple animalist».
The voice of the industry
Alonso recalls that “hunters have already spoken.” He was in the last massive demonstration in Madrid. He notes: “On March 20, under every orange vest, and there were hundreds of thousands, there was a hunter. The government has turned a deaf ear, but we continue to fight against this law.” He thinks that “also ranchers, farms or the world of horse riding. A very broad sector that we lead, because we are the most affected. And if you have to go out into the street again, then you go out».
Jorge Alonso take the opportunity to strongly condemn and express “my complete rejection and that of the group of hunters to the two cases of animal abuse with dogs that we have been able to see in the last month on the Island”. One, with 32 dogs, and another, with 8. It is resounding: “If you can’t have ten dogs, have five and if you can’t have two, but in good condition.” Regarding «the hunter from Gran Canaria, or supposed hunter, who appeared naked with partridges hanging from his genitals and saying barbarities, our most absolute rejection. He does not represent the collective of hunters ».
He concludes: “Generally, we are respectful of the environment, our animals and nature. The field where we practice sports is the natural environment. Our job is to take care of it, protect it and, also, the species that inhabit it. Conserving the rich diversity of this land is up to all of us.”
“Born lame due to lack of consensus”
The councilor of the Cabildo Antolín Bueno (DC) considers that the new Animal Welfare and Protection Law has arrived “not without controversy”. He gives examples of the inclusion of hunting dogs, as well as the treatment of feral cats in natural spaces. In his opinion, “it is born lame, since animals have no political color and a greater consensus is necessary.” Even, he points out, “it violates some articles of the Statute of Autonomy of the Canary Islands, in the exclusive competence of the Community.” He concludes: “It gives the impression that more than for animal welfare it is done to shut up mouths or justify headlines.” The law includes the prohibition of slaughter, mistreatment or sale and display in shops. It seeks to put an end to the abandonment of pet and wild animals in captivity, for which, in addition, it will be accompanied by a modification of the Penal Code. It collects that zero sacrifice, in addition to the prohibition of practices that cause suffering in animals. In summary, he values, “a necessary law, a reflection of the demand of today’s society, but that still must evolve and with consensus.”
