People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have claimed that donkeys in Santorini are still being overworked and abused as “tourist taxis,” stressing that legislation recently passed to protect the animals is not being enforced.
According to PETA, the video released today shows that donkeys and mules continue to be exploited on the Greek island of Santorini, a year after PETA Germany had appealed to the Greek Ministry for Rural Development to banned such rides for anyone weighing over 100 kilograms.
"However, equines are still being forced to carry tourists, some of whom are over the weight limit, and are sustaining wounds caused by poorly fitting saddles.
The footage, taken in September 2019, shows that some animals trip after being beaten with a stick by their handler, also endangering tourists who are on foot – one man even had to jump onto a wall to get out of the way. PETA has now launched an online petition calling for Greek legislators to introduce a complete ban on all donkey rides," announced PETA officials through a statement.
"Exhausted donkeys and mules with bloody wounds are being driven up and down the steep, slippery steps from morning to night in Santorini," added PETA spokesperson Emily Rice.
"The site is also dangerous to humans: hikers are constantly being pushed aside, and on many occasions, eyewitnesses were also forced to dodge the frequently unsupervised animals in order to avoid injury. PETA is urging legislators to act responsibly and ban these rides for good."
*Watch the video here-
