PAN has also found evidence of workers “living at the shelter in precarious conditions”
The PAN political party (standing for People, Animals and Nature) is calling for action over the alleged mistreatment of hundreds of dogs at a shelter in Loulé.
The case was reported last Wednesday by TVI, which shared shocking photos of a dead dog lying on the ground and dogs living in “inhumane conditions”, surrounded by faeces, which were reportedly taken by whistleblowers at the Bem Estar Animal shelter.
Since then, the municipal council of Loulé announced that an inspection was carried out at the site after the report was aired, the results of which it is still awaiting.
“All measures considered necessary will be taken following the results that will be revealed in the report,” the council added.
While recognising that the “association in charge of the space is directly responsible for the well-being of the animals,” PAN has highlighted in a statement to the press the “importance” of the entities responsible for inspecting these kinds of shelters, from GNR police’s SEPNA division and the national nature and forest conservation institute (ICNF) to the municipal veterinarian.
“PAN had already requested an inspection from these same entities and urged them to act regarding the association in question. At this moment, PAN’s district political committee is awaiting a response from Loulé council regarding the urgent meeting request sent on the morning of June 21,” the political party says in the statement.
The party wants to question the municipality about the protocols signed with ABSOL, which receives an annual €50,000 subsidy from the local council, PAN says. It also seeks clarifications about the role of the municipal veterinarian in supervising the association, as well as supervising the municipal kennel. Last but not least, the party wants to know the results of the inspections of the site carried out last week.
“For us, it is essential that municipalities act in a timely manner to avoid these situations,” says Saúl Rosa, a member of PAN Algarve’s district political committee, adding that in the wake of these tragic events, he intends to arrange meetings with other municipalities to discuss the measures carried out by each council to address and avoid similar situations.
Pedro Glória, another PAN member who visited the shelter on Friday, June 21, says it is “inadmissible that, in the 21st century, we still witness this type of negligence as reported in the premises of the association.”
“Furthermore, we have detected that, allegedly, there are workers at the premises living in precarious conditions on the site itself. We also learned, during this inspection, that this association receives animals from five other municipalities, besides the municipality of Loulé, namely Tavira, Lagoa, Faro, Paços de Ferreira and Rio Maior, accommodating a total of around 500 animals, evidently without proper conditions,” Glória adds.
“Animal welfare associations play a crucial role in this matter, but it is essential to ensure proper oversight. We demand immediate action from the competent authorities and will continue to fight for greater transparency and responsibility in the animal cause,” he says.
PAN Algarve is also urging anyone who is aware of animal mistreatment situations to report them (accaojuridica@pan.com.pt).
