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Cats in one of the colonies controlled by Mijas Felina. SUR
Mijas unveils 500,000-euro animal welfare budget, although the initiative has caused controversy
Animal welfare

Mijas unveils 500,000-euro animal welfare budget, although the initiative has caused controversy

The town hall is finalising two contracts, one of which is for the control of cat colonies and will be awarded to a private company, a decision which has angered the Mijas Felina shelter

Lorena Cádiz

Mijas

Thursday, 6 June 2024, 15:43

In order to comply with Spain's recently introduced animal welfare law, Mijas town hall has unveiled a budget of over 500,000 euros for the control and management of stray animals in the municipality, although the announcement is surrounded by some controversy.

According to data provided by animal welfare councillor Marco Cortés, the local council is finalising two contracts. One will have a budget of about 400,000 euros and will see Mijas get a 24-hour vet service focused mainly on dogs, cats and ferrets.

The second is related to the cat colonies in Mijas and will have an annual budget of more than 105,000 euros. This money will be used for the control and cataloguing of colonies of stray cats, as well as for the collection and sterilisation of the animals.

It is this contact that has caused most concern as it will be awarded to a specialist, private company. According to Cortés, it will benefit “the welfare of the animals” and bring benefits for Mijas Felina and other animal shelters in the municipality, because, “the costs that they have been enduring until now will be saved”. “From now on they will be able to use this money for other purposes,” the councillor said, adding that the town hall appreciated the charity's work and would still need its support in the future.

However, a spokesperson for Mijas Felina, Mar Selva, did not agree. She pointed out that for the last nine years the shelter has been controlling cat colonies in the municipality.

“Over this time, we have carried out 10,000 sterilisations paid for with our own funds, which come from our partners and the activities we organise. We have dedicated our time and our money to cleaning the areas where the cats live, while also supplying them with water and food. Now, for the first time, the town hall has allocated a budget for this purpose but it has decided to hire a private company, instead of reaching a collaboration agreement with us,” Selva said.

She pointed out that councils of other municipalities have reached collaboration agreements with similar organisations by which they are designated funds to carry out this work, without paying for it themselves. She is now hoping Mijas will follow suit.

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surinenglish Mijas unveils 500,000-euro animal welfare budget, although the initiative has caused controversy