SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, June 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The City Council of La Laguna, through the Social Welfare Area, has denounced the vandalization and disappearance of some of the informative posters that had been placed around the Punta del Hidalgo Lighthouse Coastal Path, also known as Camino de San Juanito and recognized with the blue flag, to remember the obligation to keep pets on a leash in this space.
The Councilor for the Environment and Animal Welfare, José Luis Hernández, wanted to recall through a statement that it is an important habitat and nesting area for protected birds and where a coexistence project is being promoted to facilitate the enjoyment of the coast with the necessary defense of biodiversity.
The councilor, who has already denounced these events to the Local Police, as it is street furniture paid for with public money, has lamented the lack of civility of the person or persons responsible and recalls that, with or without a sign, municipal regulations “are clear and the current Municipal Ordinance for the Ownership of Animals penalizes the movement of pets without a leash through public spaces with fines of between 60 and 150.25 euros”.
The mayor points out that any condition to protected species may imply not only a considerable increase in the penalty, but imprisonment from 6 months to 2 years or a fine of 8 to 24 months, in accordance with the penalties established in article 334 of the Penal Code for killing to a protected species. “Given some actions that increase the perceived risk to the biodiversity of this environment, we have also requested an increase in control and surveillance in the area,” he added.
The signs have been cut with power tools, others have been torn from the concrete bases and some have appeared with graffiti in which, above the phrase ‘it is forbidden to release dogs in this public space’, the word ‘dogs’ is replaced by ‘ humans’.
These information panels, distributed along a path that is approximately 2.3 kilometers long, are included in the awareness project ‘Be your best friend’, a municipal initiative on the responsible ownership of pets, aimed at promoting civility and the collection of pet droppings in public spaces, as well as reducing the risk to biodiversity in spaces that, like this coastal path, are home to rich bird life.
“This natural space is not a park for dogs and here the irresponsible and the one who must assume the consequences is the human, not the animal,” criticizes Hernández. In any case, he adds, “if there are people who consider that the use of the coast should be restricted, they have at their disposal various community and democratic mechanisms, and they can present a proposal to the Plenary in accordance with the provisions of the operating regulations of this institution” .
With this signage and other awareness actions, the Area contributes to reinforce the objectives of the ‘Experimental project for sustainable development of public use on the coast of Punta del Hidalgo’ promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands and financed through the European Regional Development Fund (PO FEDER Canary Islands 2014-2020). An initiative that wants to protect environmental wealth and promote the conservation of biodiversity, together with the sustainable development of traditional and leisure activities.
