If you see a horse, donkey or any other animal being mistreated you can report the mistreatment to the authorities.

There are two main bodies charged with enforcing animal mistreatment laws; town halls and the Seprona - the Guardia Civil unit that deals with countryside, animal and environmental issues.

You can report mistreatment to either or both of these bodies.

Always make sure that your report is made in writing. When you present the report it should be stamped and you should get a stamped copy for yourself. This will serve as proof that an official complaint has been made.

In our experience it is rare for action to be taken quickly. You are likely to have to be persistent and will probably need to follow up the complaint a number of times. It may be helpful if you can get other people to complain, too. The more complaints received about a case, the more likely it is that action will be taken.

If you are making your complaint to the town hall, you may need to remind them that they have the power to act under animal mistreatment laws. Article 21 of Law 4/94 is particularly important. Town hall officials should know this, but may not. Click here for the relevant excerpt from the law.

It is, of course, better to make your complaint in Spanish if you can. If you need help or advice, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We will try to help if possible, but please be aware that as we only have a small number of part-time volunteer workers our resources are very limited.

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