The Civil Guard has investigated 58 dog rescue owners for having illegally mutilated 1,111 dogs whose ears and tails were cut off in Almería, Granada, Málaga, Jaén, Córdoba and Seville. In the operation, a veterinarian from Úbeda (Jaén) has been arrested as the alleged perpetrator of a continuing crime of document falsification and another related to the protection of flora, fauna and domestic animals due to animal abuse.
The detainee gave legal coverage to the mutilations carried out by the rehaleros by noting on the animals’ health records “ear and tail cutting due to functionality under anesthesia”, without having seen any of these dogs and without providing the report that justified such mutilations.
The investigation, within the framework of ‘Operation Raviches-Severed Ear’, began a year ago, when Seprona carried out two inspections of a dog run in the Granada towns of Picena and Domingo Pérez. The agents found 26 dogs with their tails and ears cut off and their health records included the annotation “ear and tail cut due to functionality under anesthesia.” These notes were signed and sealed by a veterinarian from Úbeda without any other document appearing specifying the veterinary causes for these surgical operations.
At the same time, another Seprona patrol in the Sevillian town of Cazalla de Sierra found several tracks of dogs with the same cuts on their tails and ears. In this case, the agents were suspicious because the dogs were puppies and the intervention date that appeared on their records was very distant in time, and the injuries they presented were incompatible since they looked very recent.
The Seprona patrols from Granada and Seville decided to coordinate their efforts and while the Granada patrol inspected the eastern part of Andalusia, the Sevillian patrol inspected the western part. In total, more than 2,000 dogs have been inspected and 1,111 dogs allegedly illegally mutilated by their owners have been discovered.
For this reason, 58 people have been investigated as alleged perpetrators of the continued crimes of animal abuse, document falsification and professional intrusion. Of those 58 investigated, 15 have been in the province of Granada, 18 in Jaén, 12 in Seville, six in Córdoba, four in Almería and three in Málaga.
Among the irregularities detected by Seprona, the inconsistencies reflected in the health records stand out, specifically in the dates of the surgical interventions of some dogs, reflecting data that did not correspond to reality. Furthermore, after inspecting the veterinary clinic, the agents found that the facilities were not prepared to carry out this type of intervention with minimal guarantees.
The cutting of ears and tails in rehala dogs was a traditional practice by the owners themselves to prevent brambles or other bushes from harming the animals during hunting. But this surgical practice was completely prohibited since February 1, 2018, when the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Pets came into force in Spain.
Animal mutilations carried out for aesthetic reasons or without any use are strictly prohibited. The amputation of any limb or appendage of the animal must be duly justified for veterinary clinical reasons and the practice of such amputations must be reflected in a justifying report, which must be kept in the animal’s clinical history, and must be carried out by a veterinarian with hygienic conditions. adequate sanitary.
The crime of animal abuse with injuries is punishable by penalties of up to 18 months in prison or a fine of up to 12 months. In all cases, the penalty of disqualification for possession, profession, trade or trade that has to do with animals is established. In addition, there are aggravating circumstances that could increase the sentence above two years and cause the person who commits it to go to prison.
