They denounce the mistreatment of the donkey in the ‘Peropalo’ of Villanueva de la Vera

The National Association for the Protection and Welfare of Animals (ANPBA) has announced that it has filed an optional appeal for reconsideration before the City Council of Villanueva de la Vera for the use of a donkey in the ‘Peropalo’ celebration, on the 1st of March.

In its appeal, ANPBA exposes the legal reasoning by which it understands that the use of the donkey causes the animal “unnecessary suffering and alleged unnatural treatment.”

To substantiate its argument, the group invokes the Animal Protection Law of Extremadura and a ruling of the Superior Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands that determines that the prohibition focuses on the use of animals in celebrations in which “they can” cause suffering, treatment unnatural, or damage, he explains.

And it has to be that way, because, as ANPBA states in its appeal, “it would make no sense to establish a ban, in an animal protection regulation, whose application would be exactly after the party had taken place.”

In this sense, in a press release ANPBA explains that it justifies the invocation of the judgment of the Balearic High Court in which the Balearic Animal Protection Law is “similar” in its wording to the Extremadura Animal Protection Law, both prohibiting the use of animals. in popular festivals that “can” cause them suffering or make them the object of unnatural treatments, he points out.

Preliminary step to an appeal in the Litigation

The National Association for the Protection and Welfare of Animals also adds that it has formally filed the appeal for replacement in the electronic Registry of the Villanueva de la Vera City Council, thus exhausting the administrative route as a “prior” and “essential” step to bring the case (if the city council rejects the appeal) before the Contentious Jurisdiction.

It would be through the presentation of a contentious-administrative appeal in the Contentious Courts of Cáceres and, where appropriate, before the Superior Court of Justice of Extremadura, given that it is a celebration in which, “potentially, the animals can be subjected to suffering and unnatural treatment prohibited, “says ANPBA.

As the group understands, «at this point in the 21st century it is imposed that, like the Pero-Palo, it is a doll; the »inmate« is symbolic, and the mockery (Jewish), the sentence and the subsequent execution of the inmate are symbolic, the peropaleros must build another doll that symbolizes the donkey, made of papier mâché, wood, or any other recycled material, which which would not distort the ‘spirit’ of a celebration that is strictly symbolic, as occurs in other Spanish municipalities where papier mâché or stuffed donkeys are used in their celebrations».