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Translation of the text "Denuncian
que el maltrato a los animales deja una imagen negativa a los turistas!",
published by Canarias24horas.com 30 April 2009
Animal Mistreatment leaves a negative
image on Island Visitors!
The animal protection association, Pro Animal
Gomera (PAG) assures us that animal mistreatment or neglect of
animals is often the reason why many tourists carry a negative
impression of the Island when they go back home. PAG further
said that Gomera cannot afford to lose this important source
of income.
The animal
protection organization continued that the receive hundreds of E-Mails,
telephone calls, photos and videos from concerned, disappointed and sad
tourists concerning the observed situation on the Island and these visitors
represent the largest source of income of local tourism.
The Canaries
endorse and promote rural tourism as well as a love of nature and the
environment.
While roaming
through the Island countryside, villages and Fincas, the attentive visitor
see the other side of the "coin".
Despite all
of the efforts of the municipalities and Island authorities to show the
beautiful side of Island life, many holiday makers have decided not to
return based on the negative aspects concerning animal protection.
Pro Animal
Gomera mentioned just a few examples of unforgettable occurrences that
tourists on Gomera have experienced. For example, colonies of starving
cats, sick and injured dogs that have to live tied to old barrels. Also,
let’s us not forget the number of poisoned cats, as well as cows, sheep and
donkeys that have been left to themselves. How about working animals that
have never faced a Vet. In their whole lives, mother animals that have been
abandoned with their young, starving pigs and kittens that go blind because
of an eye illness.
Hikers have
also seen and remember leg injuries on goats and sheep. Picture have been
taken and sent to the animal protection organization for record. They have
also experienced having abandoned dogs follow them just to get a piece of
bread and it breaks the visitor’s heart when they have to leave such animals
behind.
Pro Animal
Gomera mentioned also the transport of cattle that leads the visitor to ask
“ are we really in Europe?”, when they observe cattle and pigs being loaded
and unloaded in broad daylight, without permit and in less than ideal
conditions.
For years,
the animal protection organization has been trying to get an animal shelter
on the Island and have asked the different communities to follow the
regulations with regard to animal protection. Each meeting with the
community representatives brought the illusion that they were listening, but
time has gone by and it has only gotten steadily worse for the animals.
Meanwhile, La Gomera has been losing visitors and the economic situation has
only worsened.
Pro Animal
Gomera continued by saying that everyone is responsible for the image of the
Island that is shown to the outside world, such as the taxi driver who runs
over a defenseless animal on purpose. Then there is the farmer who does not
properly care for his animals, and let us not forget the waiter, who steps
on and kicks wild cats in the center of a restaurant right in front of his
tourist guests.
Fault does
not lay just with the person who mishandled the animals, but with all of
those who witnessed the act and did not do anything about it.
In closing,
it must once more be said that Animal protection is everybody's duty and
tourism is the work horse of the main income of La Gomera.
We can not
allow ourselves to ignore the first and lose the second.
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News - 2009...