Earthquake Fears Prompt PETA Plea to Santorini PM: Suspend all Donkey Rides, Now!
Earthquake Fears Prompt PETA Plea to Santorini PM: Suspend all Donkey Rides, Now!
London – In the light of ongoing seismic activity on Santorini, PETA Germany has urged the Greek government to take the island’s animals to safety. In a letter (available here) sent to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the animal rights organisation called for immediate protective measures for all donkeys and mules forced to climb more than 500 slippery steps while carrying tourists up to the old town of Firá.
With fears of a major earthquake with subsequent landslides and flooding, many locals and tourists are choosing to evacuate the island. But earthquakes not only pose a danger to humans, they can be devastating for animals as well. The Greek civil protection ministry currently advises against staying at the port of Firá, which is the starting point of donkey rides.
“PETA calls on the Greek government to take immediate measures to safeguard animals on the island,” says PETA Vice President of UK & Europe Mimi Bekhechi. “Donkeys and mules already suffer when exploited for tourist rides, but these additional dangers could kill them. The time to ban these cruel, archaic rides is now.”
PETA has previously published eyewitness reports documenting the suffering of donkeys and mules on Santorini, showing animals with painful abdominal abrasions and wounds caused by ill-fitting and worn-down saddles or makeshift saddle girths. The headgear used is often inappropriate, and some donkeys and mules had wounds covered in flies. While animals are forced to await their next trip in the scorching Mediterranean sun, they are often denied essentials such as water, shade, or protection from the elements. Furthermore, many animals stumble – often after being beaten with a stick by a handler – endangering nearby tourists who are on foot.
PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”. The group opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow PETA on Facebook, X, TikTok, or Instagram.
Contact:
Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7923 6244; [email protected]
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