Toledo. - Today, March 1, 2011, 5,023 signatures were delivered to the President of the Department of Castilla-La Mancha, José Maria Barreda, against the maltreatment, torture and death of hunting greyhounds – galgos - in this region of Spain.

These greyhounds are raised on inadequate food, they lack all care and the hunters use them as mere hardware. When they reach 2 or 3 years of age, they are condemned to a painful death by their owners who tie them to a tree with a piece of rope that is deliberatly made too short for them to lie down. When finally the dog collapses from exhaustion and starvation it eventually dies from hanging after a prolonged period of unspeakable suffering.

An alliance of animal defence groups made up of the Spanish Federation for Animal Well-being - FEBA, the Protective Society of Animals and Plants of Madrid, Galgos Sin Fronteras (Greyhounds Without Borders) of Madrid and Association for the Defense of the Rights of Animal (ONG ADDA) of Barcelona have presented these disgraceful facts to the Director General of Agriculture for the region within who's brief this matter falls. Incomprehensively these inhumane practices are not condemned by the authorities and the alliance presented in 2009 a formal request endorsed by 22,580 signatures calling for urgent action to end this maltreatment of animals who, after giving of their best recieve in payment for their loyalty such a cruel, ignominious and painful death.

Immediately after the delivery of the 22.580 signatures, the Director General appeared receptive to this request, and the FEBA attended several meetings with the Director with the object of re drafting of the obsolete Law for Protection of the Animals of Castilla-La Mancha and to bring an end to these episodes. However, since the last meeting in May 2010, nine months have passed in silence, no advance has taken place and there has been no move to address the proposed re drafting of the law. Consequently these hangings have continued to be perpetrated, cruelty which not only disgusts the human conscience, but stains the good name of the Spanish people.

We cannot but think that this inactivity of the authorities responsible for Castilla-La Mancha arises solely from indolent passivity but is a consequence of pressure brought to bear from certain groups of hunters and the many organisation and individuals who have an economic interest in keeping the status quo and allowing the suffering of these animals to continue. Undoubtably the fact that we are now in a pre election period also weighs with politicians who believe that they can properly represent the people while ignoring the plight of animals who cannot vote. Thus animals who are outside the political process nevertheless suffer from it through the inactivity that withholds protection from them and allows their young lives to be ended in such a cruel fashion.

The FEBA, recognising that this issue needs to be brought once more to the forefront, has renewed it's request to the president of the Community of Castilla-La Mancha, by means of a further petition in writing to which a further 5,023 signatures have been added. With these new signatures this makes a total of 27,603 signatories who are asking the Community for a reform to the animal protection law. We believe that the authorities cannot ignore the request of so large a number of citizens who express their rejection of these cruel practices which inspire a repugnance that is not only felt in Spain but also in other countries who cannot understand how such barbaric acts can continue to be perpetuated in a civilised country.