Almost 30 hunting dogs found dead in animal transport van on board ship in Spain
The Guardia Civil is investigating whether the animals, which were returning home from a training camp in Lithuania, died from a lack of oxygen and ventilation during the final stage of the journey
C. P. S.
Madrid
Monday, 3 November 2025, 13:46
The Guardia Civil's nature protection branch (Seprona) is investigating the death of 27 hunting dogs that were discovered in a transport van when the ship that was ferrying them from Barcelona moored at the port of Palma on Saturday. The main hypothesis is that the animals died due to lack of oxygen inside the ship's hold.
The dogs were being transported after their owners had spent several days in Lithuania training them for the woodcock season. The Baltic country offers the perfect forests and conditions for training dogs' sense of smell - a type of training little known outside the hunting field.
Most of the animals were young and in the process of learning. At the end of their stay, most of the hunters returned home by plane, but two of them made the return journey from Lithuania to Barcelona in a van. They then took a ship to Palma.
Of the 36 dogs that were returning to Mallorca only nine survived. When they were discovered, they were semi-conscious, showing clear signs of asphyxia.
During the investigation, Seprona officers will examine the condition of the vehicle. The driver and the company responsible for the transport have already been identified. The exact cause of death will be determined after autopsies are performed. The dead animals will be incinerated, as per protocol.
The main theory is that those responsible for the transfer had not activated the ventilation system, which led to lack of oxygen and excessively high temperatures. Seprona, however, has not ruled out any other possibilities.
'We're devastated'
"We are devastated," said Felip Alba, one of the owners. His two hunting dogs were supposed to return home with him, but due to mechanical problems he contacted a specialised company to complete the transfer to Mallorca. According to Alba, one of the other owners lost seven dogs.
Alba's grief is shared by the entire hunting expedition. The Balearic hunting federation has stated that hunters "bear no responsibility" for what happened.
