It’s nearly impossible to estimate how many galgo dogs are killed in Spain annually, although experts say it’s as many as 100,000.
Wikimedia CommonsGalgo
They ’re used for hunt and then plainly thrown away . This is the story of the Spanish galgo , the andiron that are killed at a pace of 100,000 or more per class once their maestro are done with them . In recent years , however , the world has last begin to take bill .
The Story Of The Galgo
The inception of the Spanish galgo andiron breed stretch back to ancient time . The name “ galgo ” itself denote tothe Gaulswho populated what is now Spain in the days before the Romans ( roughly the 6th century B.C. ) .
Historians theorize that the early galgos were trace frump bought to the area by the Gauls via Phoenician monger . It is possible that the Moors who conquered Spain during the Middle Ages then spawn the dogs with African sighthounds , creating a lean , agile dog ideal for hunting .
The dogs themselves count very similar to greyhound ( although they are not closely related to English or Irish greyhounds ) , with long tail and almond - shaped eyes . These playful dogs are around 50 - 70 pound and can reach speeds of up to 40 knot per 60 minutes . Although this is slightly slower than the speeding of the average greyhound , the galgo can have these speeds for enceinte lengths of time , as it was bred for endurance rather than short bursts of upper as greyhound were .
Wikimedia CommonsGalgo
The galgo was long prized by Spanish grandeur for its hunt prowess , although today in Spain they are viewed more as “ disposable hunting tools ” than favorite .
Used Up And Thrown Away
Spain still hosts a number of “ coursing ” competitions for galgos each year , where the dogs compete to catch either a springy rabbit or a mechanical lure .
The name of the Spanish big businessman is still attach to one of the trophy at these competition , the “ Copa Su Majestad El Rey ” [ King ’s Cup ] , although there have recentlybeen petitionsrequesting that Felipe VI withdraw his permission for the royal name to be used , due to the abuse of the frump .
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Galgueros , the people who spawn and own the galgos dogs , are generally more concerned with the sheer amount of animals they can produce rather than their individual well - being . The underlying hypothesis behind this cold - hearted system of logic is that the high the number of dogs they can breed , the in high spirits the chance they will follow into possession of at least one adept hunting dog . The fostering of the galgo is unregulated , make it unmanageable to know exactly how many are bred annually .
Of course , the gravid bit of dogs that agalgueroowns , the more hard it becomes to care for them all . Most of the dogs live in rough conditions , “ chained outdoors in little concrete bunkers . ”
In club to increase their thirst for the hunting , the dogs are often only pass on the diminished amount of food necessary to keep them alive , with the hypothesis being they will hunt with wildness during the competitions .
FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP/Getty ImagesA young girl holds a placard showing a mutilated greyhound as she participates on 24 December 2024 in front the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, in an international march against the abuse of Spanish greyhounds.
FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP / Getty ImagesA young girl hold a placard showing a mutilated greyhound as she participates on June 9 , 2012 in front the European Parliament in Strasbourg , France , in an external march against the maltreatment of Spanish greyhound .
The hunting and coursing season in Spain is only a few months long and thegalguerosfind themselves with dozens of dog-iron on their paw with nothing to do for about seven months of the yr . Because the blackguard are generally only think “ useful ” for one or two hunting season , the owners tend to search ways to rid themselves of their unwanted galgos rather than waste resources caring for them .
Many of the dogs are simply abandoned and left to wander the streets on their own . Othergalgueroschoose crueler means of rid themselves of their dogs . Some are hanged from trees , supposedly a mercifully quick last . Others are tossed into rivers or down wells to drown . Some particularly fell owners dip the dogs with acid . It is nearly impossible to estimate how many galgos are toss off in Spain annually , although the Galgo Rescue International internet estimates that as many as 100,000 are toss off each year .
Fighting Back
The problem of abandoned and killed galgos occur mainly in Spain ’s rural region , such as Murcia ( now home to the Galgos del Sol deliverance organization ) , where the custom of fostering and then cast away of hunt dogs stretch back coevals . However , there has recently been some international recoil against this barbarous custom .
Galgos del Sol was founded by a British expat who was shocked to get a line about the mass desertion of the wiener and the formation has rescue M of galgos since its establishment in 2011 . Thanks in part to the cause of Galgos del Sol and other animal eudaemonia organizations Spain enacted new legislation against animal cruelty , although it may be some meter before the killing of the strain is rooted out totally .
After this expression at the galgo , read about China’sYulin fete , where dogs are killed and eat . Then , read all about how Soviet scientistVladimir Demikhov created a two - headed hot dog .
