Photo: SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP/Getty
The load on the backs of the Santorini donkeys is about to get lighter.
On Wednesday, lawmakers in Greece announced that their popular coastal donkey rides would be limited to tourists “weighing less than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) or one-fifth of the donkey’s body weight,” thelaw statesaccording toCNN.
Owners must also take responsibility for the donkeys’ condition, ensuring that their health, stables, workstations, and food/water supply are all well-maintained, clean, and free from infection.
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“Under no circumstances should donkeys be used if they are unfit for work i.e., ill animal, injured, animals in an advanced pregnancy as well as animals with poor maintenance of hooves,” a section of the new law reads.
However, in recent years, the rise of obesity has reportedly taken a toll on the animals, to the point that locals have even started to crossbreed animals to create mules as a way to keep up with the influx of larger-sized tourists and demand for stronger animals, reportsGreek City Times,
The decision to protect the animals came after a video surfaced online in July, showing the donkeys carrying overweight sightseers. Many activists complained afterward that the animals were being treated inhumanely, and as a result, suffering from spinal injuries and open wounds.
Since its creation, it has garnered over 100,000 signatures.
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In August,The Donkey Sanctuary— who also created their own pledge site — met with the Greek government to discuss the animals’ health and safety.
After speaking with Mayor Anastasios-Nikolaos Zorzos of Santorini — the petition was closed down, noting that Zorzos “pledged to improve the conditions for working equines on the Greek Island.”
“Donkeys can still be forced to carry a person weighing 15 stone 10 pounds (100 kilograms) up more than 500 steep steps four to five times a day,” PETA UK director of international programs, Mimi Bekhechi, told the outlet.
source: people.com
