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The current situation
The current situation in Mallorca is that around 6000
dogs are rejected by their owners each year and there are thousands of stray cats, not to mention the countless animals that are abused or kept in inhumane conditions.
Stray dogs in particular find themselves taken off to the municipal
dog kennels, and we are talking here primarily about the so-called ‘perreras’ in Felanitx and Santanyi, where the conditions can only be described as abysmal.
We had the opportunity of working very closely with Felanitx local
council in recent months and this has led to something of an improvement in conditions there. For example, the supply of animal food is better, the hygienic conditions have slightly improved and veterinary care is
now being provided. In addition, Felanitx council has started to part-subsidise veterinary costs for dogs after they leave the perrera.
Dogs that are not collected from the perrera by associations such
as ours or by members of the public after 15 days are put to sleep in accordance with current regulations.
The problem arises primarily from the fact that there are not
enough private halfway houses for animals collected from the perrera and that this 15-day deadline puts us under enormous time pressure.
Up to now the local authorities in our area have unfortunately
resisted the idea of granting permission for privately run rescue centres or animal refuges of any significant size.
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