PETA Director Elisa Allen, said: ‘It’s a disgrace that gentle donkeys and mules are still being whipped and marched into the ground as they’re forced to work day in and day out with no relief from the hot sun.‘
ELISA MENENDEZ: ‘Exhausted, overheated and carrying heavy tourists up and down winding stairs as their legs buckle beneath them – this is the tragic life of working donkeys on the Greek island of Santorini. In 2018, Greece changed its legislation on the booming donkey ‘taxi’ industry, following a global appeal by animal rights organization PETA Germany. Following a huge public outcry, the Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food banned any person weighing over 100 kilograms from riding the animals.
But by the end of summer, this year, the poor donkeys and mules were still being forced to carry tourists over the weight limit. Footage from September shows the animals with painful sores from poorly fitting saddles and rusting wounds caused by the tight chains which bound their mouths. They are beaten by their handlers and seen struggling up and down hundreds of stairs leading from the port, as 39°C sun beats down on their backs.
When they are not being made to carry extremely heavy loads on their backs, the animals are often overheating in the blazing sun without access to water or shade. The donkeys were seen tied up for hours with just one bucket between the drove, which many couldn’t reach. Following the latest investigation, PETA is now calling for Greek legislators to introduce a complete ban on all donkey rides.
Director Elisa Allen, said: ‘It’s a disgrace that gentle donkeys and mules are still being whipped and marched into the ground as they’re forced to work day in and day out with no relief from the hot sun.‘ PETA is calling on tourists to steer clear of these hideously cruel rides and urging Greek authorities to step up and stop this abuse’. SOURCE…
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