https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Compulsory microchips as well as bans on ear-cropping and tail-docking are among a set of new rules to protect cats and dogs that have been approved by European lawmakers. https://www.thelocal.es/20250619/mutilation-ban-and-microchips-eu-lawmakers-approve-cat-and-dog-welfare-rules Thu, 19 Jun 2025 18:08:09 +0200 mutilation-ban-and-microchips-eu-lawmakers-approve-cat-and-dog-welfare-rules Two beluga whales have been evacuated from an aquarium in war-torn Ukraine to Spain by road and plane in a "high-risk" operation, officials at their new home said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.es/20240620/two-beluga-whales-evacuated-to-spain-from-war-torn-ukraine Thu, 20 Jun 2024 10:44:16 +0200 two-beluga-whales-evacuated-to-spain-from-war-torn-ukraine Spain's parliament on Thursday gave the green light to an animal welfare law, while also amending the penal code to bring in stiffer penalties for abuses. https://www.thelocal.es/20230317/spain-passes-animal-welfare-law Fri, 17 Mar 2023 10:18:31 +0100 spain-passes-animal-welfare-law Hundreds of tweets, Spain’s far right and even Poland’s Justice Minister have claimed that the Spanish government’s new animal welfare law decriminalises sex with animals if they suffer no injuries. https://www.thelocal.es/20230221/fact-check-no-spain-has-not-legalised-bestiality Tue, 21 Feb 2023 15:02:00 +0100 fact-check-no-spain-has-not-legalised-bestiality How long can you leave a pet unattended under Spain’s new animal welfare law without facing a hefty fine? And are there any exceptions? https://www.thelocal.es/20230216/how-long-can-i-leave-my-cat-or-dog-alone-at-home-in-spain Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:12:15 +0100 how-long-can-i-leave-my-cat-or-dog-alone-at-home-in-spain With the news last week that the Spanish city of Pamplona in Navarra has been forced to cancel its bull running fiesta for the second year running due to the Covid crisis, animal rights activists have seized on the opportunity to call for it to be banned permanently. https://www.thelocal.es/20210209/peta-offers-cash-to-ban-pamplonas-famous-running-of-the-bulls-forever Tue, 09 Feb 2021 14:57:45 +0100 peta-offers-cash-to-ban-pamplonas-famous-running-of-the-bulls-forever Spain has taken steps to award the Iberian wolf protected status which will mean a complete ban on hunting the species. https://www.thelocal.es/20210205/spain-moves-to-declare-iberian-wolf-a-protected-species Fri, 05 Feb 2021 16:27:35 +0100 spain-moves-to-declare-iberian-wolf-a-protected-species Four lions at Barcelona Zoo, three of them older females, caught Covid-19 last month but suffered only mild symptoms and have since recovered, the Catalan animal park said. https://www.thelocal.es/20201209/coronavirus-four-lions-test-positive-at-barcelona-zoo Wed, 09 Dec 2020 18:26:57 +0100 coronavirus-four-lions-test-positive-at-barcelona-zoo Two of Spain’s protected brown bears have been shot dead by hunters in separate incidents during wild boar hunts on Sunday, striking a blow to a conservation programme that has seen the population grow from near extinction. https://www.thelocal.es/20201130/spain-conservationists-lament-dark-day-as-two-brown-bears-shot-by-hunters Mon, 30 Nov 2020 18:10:01 +0100 spain-conservationists-lament-dark-day-as-two-brown-bears-shot-by-hunters Walking into a dusty paddock, a young nurse is quickly surrounded by a group of donkeys gently nudging her for attention as she strokes their soft noses and feeds them carrots. https://www.thelocal.es/20201016/whats-up-doc-donkey-therapy-eases-spain-medics-stress Fri, 16 Oct 2020 11:08:42 +0200 whats-up-doc-donkey-therapy-eases-spain-medics-stress A gorilla mauled a 46-year-old zookeeper in Spanish capital Madrid on Sunday, leaving her in serious condition with two broken arms and chest and head injuries, the zoo and emergency services said. https://www.thelocal.es/20200928/200kg-gorilla-attacks-zookeeper-in-spain Mon, 28 Sep 2020 11:00:44 +0200 200kg-gorilla-attacks-zookeeper-in-spain Residents of a small town in the province of Granada in southern Spain have been warned to be on their guard after reports that a large black panther was on the loose. https://www.thelocal.es/20200915/is-there-a-black-panther-prowling-around-a-small-village-in-southern-spain Tue, 15 Sep 2020 18:32:19 +0200 is-there-a-black-panther-prowling-around-a-small-village-in-southern-spain Loggerhead sea turtles hatched on Barcelona’s Mar Bella beach over the weekend from what is being hailed by conservationists as the first ever recorded nesting site on one of Barcelona’s city beaches. https://www.thelocal.es/20200831/loggerhead-turtles-hatch-on-barcelona-beach-for-the-first-time Mon, 31 Aug 2020 16:47:21 +0200 loggerhead-turtles-hatch-on-barcelona-beach-for-the-first-time Authorities in Britain's tiny enclave of Gibraltar, fearful of a coronavirus epidemic among its famous Barbary monkeys, have banned tourists from touching the animals. https://www.thelocal.es/20200601/gibraltar-moves-to-protect-its-monkeys-against-coronavirus Mon, 01 Jun 2020 13:05:59 +0200 gibraltar-moves-to-protect-its-monkeys-against-coronavirus In a landmark ruling for Spain, the owners of a pet store have been found guilty of animal abuse and forced to shut down. https://www.thelocal.es/20191126/spain-makes-landmark-ruling-against-pet-shop-for-animal-abuse Tue, 26 Nov 2019 14:04:14 +0100 spain-makes-landmark-ruling-against-pet-shop-for-animal-abuse Municipal councils in Spain have long been battling to keep their streets free of dog messes introducing ingenious ways to punish or shame irresponsible pet owners, but Seville City Council has just taken it a step further. https://www.thelocal.es/20190829/seville-wants-owners-to-clear-up-after-their-dog-pees Thu, 29 Aug 2019 13:40:30 +0200 seville-wants-owners-to-clear-up-after-their-dog-pees Officially extinct in the region for more than a century, a Eurasion Lynx has been born in the Catalan Pyrenees. https://www.thelocal.es/20190808/watch-first-eurasion-lynx-born-in-spanish-pyrenees-for-more-than-a-century Thu, 08 Aug 2019 14:21:47 +0200 watch-first-eurasion-lynx-born-in-spanish-pyrenees-for-more-than-a-century An "abnormally predatory" brown bear that has killed horses in the mountains between France and Spain could be removed from the area if he doesn't change his behaviour, Spanish environmental authorities said on Friday. https://www.thelocal.es/20190525/this-horse-killing-bear-is-causing-unease-in-spain-and-france Sat, 25 May 2019 13:37:05 +0200 this-horse-killing-bear-is-causing-unease-in-spain-and-france In 2002, the Iberian lynx was identified as the world’s most endangered cat, with just 94 left in the wild and looked all set to become the first species of cat to die out since the sabre-toothed tiger 10,000 years ago. https://www.thelocal.es/20190513/how-spain-brought-the-iberian-lynx-back-from-the-brink-of-extinction Mon, 13 May 2019 14:26:41 +0200 how-spain-brought-the-iberian-lynx-back-from-the-brink-of-extinction It's a rustic scene: sheep graze placidly on grass as a shepherd keeps watch. But this is Madrid's largest public park, not the tranquil countryside. https://www.thelocal.es/20190330/sheep-nibble-madrids-largest-park-into-shape Sat, 30 Mar 2019 13:14:24 +0100 sheep-nibble-madrids-largest-park-into-shape