This week, the Sidmouth-based Donkey Sanctuary’s Spanish counterpart have successfully banned donkeys being used at an annual beach festival in Sanlúcar de Barrameda in southern Spain, in which they were being abused by drunken revellers.

Yet again, under the excuse of tradition, the Government of Extremadurahas permitted the use of a donkey in the "Corrida de Elecciones" ritual in the village of Villanueva de la Vera in Spain, breaking animal protection laws in the region of Extremadura.

El Refugio del Burrito, a Spanish subsidiary of The Donkey Sanctuary, is campaigning through a petition to put a stop to a brutal fiesta that takes place every Shrove Tuesday in the Spanish village of Villanueva de la Vera which sees a helpless donkey being dragged through crowded streets in the name of tradition.

A donkey has been brutally murdered by teenagers in the village of Torreorgaz in the Spanish region of Extremadura. The news has shocked the Sidmouth-based Donkey Sanctuary and its Spanish counterpart now plans to take full legal action against the culprits.

We're pleased to announce the launch of a new website for our rescue centre in Spain called El Refugio del Burrito, based at Fuente de Piedra. Since opening in 2003, the centre now has 173 rescued or abandoned donkeys in its care and has branched out to provide donkey-riding therapy to over 200 children.

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