Onderstaande oproep kregen we binnen van Christina Garcia van FAPA (Federación de Asociaciones Protectoras y de Defensa Animal de la CM)
Hetgeen ze opmerkt is niet nieuw, ook GINN kent deze houding van Spaanse jagers en hun consorten binnen de Europese Unie van nabij.
En dat binnen de Spaanse politici veel mensen pro jacht zijn is op zich niet verwonderlijk gezien het feit dat de jacht met honden, net als in Engeland, een favoriete hobby is voor de z.g. hogere klasse.
De claim dat alle galgo's afgemaakt zouden moeten worden klinkt ons tevens bekend in de oren. Deze argumenten worden gebruikt door de Spaanse Jagers Federatie evenals in Engeland.

In dit geval gaat het om Luis de Grandes, lid van het Europese Parlement voor de Peoples Party (Een rechtse Spaanse partij) en groot voorstander van de jacht en het stierenvechten. Deze man claimt wederom dat galgo's, zijnde rasechte jachthonden, totaal ongeschikt zijn om als gezelschapshond in een gezin te leven en dus volgens zijn beredenering alle galgo's moeten worden afgemaakt als er en verbod op de jacht komt.

Verzoek van Christina Garcia is om foto's op te sturen van uw galgo/galgo's welke bewijzen dat ze juist erg geschikt zijn als gezelschapsdieren.
En mocht u getuigenissen hebben van de gruwelijke omstandigheden waarin de galgo's in Spanje verkeren (heeft u bijv. vanuit de auto galgo's zien zwerven) dan hoort zij dit ook graag.
U kunt dit alles sturen naar het volgende e-mail adres: fapa@fapam.org

De originele oproep vind u hieronder.

Met vriendelijke groeten,

Petra Postma

MADRID, 25 FEBRUARY 2007.

A RUTHLESS POLITICIAN INTENDS TO CONDEMN SPANISH GALGOS FOREVER

Dear friends,

There is always a politician somewhere, willing to defend the cause of ruthless torture to animals.

In this case his name is Luis de Grandes, member of the European Parliament representing the People’s Party (Spanish right-wing party), a big supporter of hunting and bullfighting. The lobby he belongs to has heard about the action carried out in Brussels by FAPA (Federación de Asociaciones Protectoras y de Defensa Animal de la CM – Spanish Federation of Animal Welfare and Defence Associations) and FENDEVA (Valencia Community’s Federation for the Protection and Defence of the Animal Rights) together with the
Green Party’s member of the European Parliament David Hammerstein, whose aim is to inform about and to report hunting activities using galgos in Spain. This hunting mode is non-selective, which means it fails to meet several European Directives. Being a non-selective hunting mode, it puts protected species into danger, specially when galgos are abandoned and left uncontrolled in the countryside.

This person in question is trying to kill all our efforts, leaving us to go on gathering the tortured galgos’ broken pieces forever (literally), hoping that eventually we will collapse and give up.
After all, to his eyes all the animal protection groups in this country are just silly, unimportant, insignificant stupid people who can be easily beaten and crushed.

But oh dear, he is terribly wrong! THAT IS WHY we need every single person, association or group devoted to animal protection both in Spain and in the rest of the EU countries to provide us with data concerning their activities, specially figures related to the nummber of galgos entered in official animal shelter centers.
If possible, please send the information signed by the vet collaborating in the shelter; also, photos showing the state of these poor animals would be just too good.

It is vital for us to received photos of galgos adopted in any country, together with their adoption families. This person is trying to make believe that galgos are useless as companion dogs, and so, according to his reasoning, if hunting with galgos were forbidden all galgos would have to be put to death. THAT IS NOT
TRUE and one point in our fight is to prove that, if hunting with galgos disappears forever, these dogs can live together with a family, perfectly happy.

Anyone can send a letter telling about a specific situation he/she witnessed: a galgo running astray in the countryside, galgos killed... even though he/she can only see these sitations when passing by in his/her car.
PLEASE HELP US!! IT IS VERY URGENT!!

Please send information, photos… to fapa@fapam.org

WE OWE THIS TO OUR POOR TORTURED GALGOS!!

CRISTINA GARCIA