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Hare hunt with galgos

In Spain, hunting with galgos is a centuries-old, traditional form of hunting. The intention is that two galgos together hunt, catch and kill one hare. Usually the hunters walk with the hounds forming a line through an open field, looking for hidden hares. When a hare jumps up, the hunters release two galgos who then chase the hare.

At the age of two to three, the galgos’ physical condition begins to decline. When hunting dogs are not fast enough, and no longer serve the hunter, they are dumped as disposable items or even killed. Galgos are intelligent dogs who learn the “game” of hunting. The hunters establish certain rules for hunting. For example, if a galgo takes a shortcut to catch the hare, it is going against those rules, and dishonours the hunters. In some cases hunters punish their greyhounds for this behavior, out of the superstition that his descendants will learn from it. One form of punishment is hanging the galgo from a tree, where it can just touch the ground with its legs. A death struggle that sometimes lasts for three days. In other cases, greyhounds are thrown into wells, where they drown or starve to death. In addition to galgo hunting, there are also championships, which cause a lot of animal suffering. Read more about the championships here.

Shelters rescue as many hunting dogs as possible. Sometimes the shelters can no longer handle the large numbers of dogs. Many of these dogs are being adopted in Spain or abroad, where a bright future awaits them. From CAS International we will not be concerned with the adoption of dogs, and we have a reason for that. We are taking the political path to ban the gruesome hunting and to stop the abuse of galgos, podencos and other hunting dogs forever.

Spain is the only European country where hunting animals is allowed in an open field and where hunting dogs are allowed to kill the prey. These are practices that are prohibited elsewhere in Europe. However, under Article 13 of the Lisbon Treaty, there is an exception for prohibiting certain forms of animal cruelty that are part of cultural traditions, religious rites and regional heritage. We will fight for his cause in both Spain and Brussels.

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Picture: Pixabay