Mijas will ensure the preservation of donkeys and their reproduction with a recreational park

The mayor of Mijas, Ana Mata, highlighted this Friday that the town will ensure the reproduction of the donkeys and the preservation of the species with the creation of a recreational park, a project planned on the southern road of the town and whose drafting is contemplated in "the next budget amendment".

The mayor disclosed this during the presentation of the initiative, called 'Donkey Sanctuary' and reported by Málaga Hoy, for which she assured that the City Council already has a "feasibility study" and is currently working on the tender for the project drafting.

The idea of the City Council is to promote a recreational park in the southern road, where in addition to learning more about this symbol of Mijas, the animals will have more spacious stables and recreation areas in a plot of more than 10,000 square meters that will be integrated into the landscape.

Mata highlighted the months of work and meetings, both with muleteers and associations, while emphasizing that this project "will mark a before and after". She also advanced that the collaboration of the College of Veterinarians will be requested for an initiative that aims to promote interaction with donkeys in semi-freedom, where they can roam and which can be visited, while improving their quality of life.

“We are working in the right direction to have a space of respect and exaltation of the figure of the donkey and do it positively, avoiding derogatory comments towards those who love donkeys,” the mayor exclaimed.

“Our intention is to ensure the preservation of these animals that are endangered and to make Mijas a town that supports their reproduction and, therefore, the preservation of the species. For this, we will create this park, whose project drafting is included in the next budget amendment,” the mayor explained.

Objectives of the project

The action aims to improve global awareness about animal rights and welfare, create an observatory of donkeys in semi-freedom from the Camino de las Canteras, make possible walks through shaded and wooded trails, the participation of the Andalusian donkey in the management of the forest mass and the preservation of the species.

Also, the animals can “retire” in the park and the adults can be taken in for their recovery and subsequent relocation, as well as the creation of a Donkey Interpretation Center of Mijas.

Meanwhile, the president of the refuge Donkey Dreamland, Amaya Isert, acknowledged the commitment of the government team to promote the refuge, with which she has been working for over a year to get the park off the ground, stating that it was the first executive that “really listened to associations like mine when we proposed ideas to improve the conditions of the animals”.

“We firmly believe that the figure of the donkey should not disappear, it is endangered and we consider that this place, Mijas, can be an example for other municipalities in the conservation of this species,” she emphasized.

Isert highlighted that the intention of the project promoters is “to progress towards more sustainable and responsible tourism and to dignify the donkey, hence the project includes a reproduction park”.

On his part, the representative of the muleteers, Antonio Jiménez, defended the dignity of the work they perform and denounced the constant harassment they receive “when summer arrives”.

All parties have valued the importance of dialogue to reach a consensus and that this is a very important first step to make the project a reality. The Facebook group ‘Free Mijas donkeys and horses’ and the Mijas and Fuengirola animal welfare and environment platform also participated in the negotiations.