During the month of August, in the municipalities of Adra, Huércal Overa and Fiñana, the Guardia Civil of the Almería Command, through its Nature Protection Team (SEPRONA), carried out three operations related to crimes related to Land Management and the Protection of Historical Heritage and the Environment, Crimes against Animals and Crimes of Animal Abuse.
The first operation took place in the town of Huércal Overa, where the Guardia Civil became aware of an incident thanks to a tip-off from the animal protection organisation APA Nueva Vida. This organisation alerted the SEPRONA team in Gádor to the discovery of a litter of puppies abandoned in a rubbish bin in the municipality.
With the collaboration of the Municipal Police of Huércal Overa, the nearby property where the barking was coming from was identified. The place was inspected and 9 dogs were found inside, 3 males and 6 females, of which only 3 of them had an identification microchip, and none of them had been vaccinated against rabies or had received treatment for the prevention of Echinococcus. In addition, the dogs were found to be in poor hygienic and sanitary conditions due to the presence of numerous parasites.
The protector APA Nueva Vida assumed the responsibility of caring for these animals on a voluntary and free of charge basis. The Guardia Civil documented the facts in an official report, and the person in charge of the building spontaneously admitted his guilt in the abandonment of the puppies found near the container in previous days.
During the operation carried out in Adra, the SEPRONA Sierra Nevada team is investigating a person for a crime of animal abuse. She was responsible for looking after a purebred Spanish horse, a female equine. Unfortunately, the animal was in extremely poor physical condition: it was suffering from severe anorexia, weakness, difficulty in moving, had serious wounds with a high risk of infection, had tumour masses and had not received any veterinary care.
The staff in charge of the investigation requested the help of a specialised veterinarian to assess the animal’s condition who, after examining the equine, assessed that its condition was incompatible with life and had to proceed to humanely euthanise it.
In the third action, the Guardia Civil is investigating a person in Fiñana for a crime of Animal Abuse resulting in death. Agents of SEPRONA Sierra Nevada, with the collaboration of the Local Police of the municipality, located in a plot of land in Fiñana the corpse of a canine, chained, and in an advanced state of decomposition, from which a total omission of the elementary care of the animal is induced.
The Guardia Civil de la Comandancia de Almería is grateful for the cooperation of citizens in relation to crimes and infractions related to the protection of flora, fauna and the care and protection of the natural environment in general and recalls that cooperation can be provided anonymously through the web page, www.guardiacivil.es, by calling 062 or in person at any official Guardia Civil office.