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ARCHIVED - Costa del Sol donkey taxis awarded charter of workers’ rights
Mijas Town Hall aims to eliminate possible maltreatment of the popular tourist taxi-donkeys
The donkeys used to provide picturesque and quaint taxi services in Mijas, in the heart of the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga, have been awarded a series of “workers’ rights” in response to a series of reports in recent years that they were being maltreated by their owners in providing services and photo opportunities for tourists.
The local council of Mijas has modified local regulations to legislate for the wellbeing of the animals, stipulating among other things that the donkeys must not be forced to carry anyone weighing over 80 kilos on their 15-minute tours of the historic town centre. The regulations also establish a fixed working timetable: in winter the working day will last from 9.00 to 18.00 and in summer from 8.30 to 21.30, but with an obligatory siesta from 14.00 to 17.00 and with each donkey allowed to work either in the morning or in the afternoon, but not both.
It is also stated in the new rules, which are expected to come into force early next year, that donkeys aged under 3 must not be put to work – their life expectancy is around 30 to 35.
Other clauses in the rules concern the conditions in which the animals are kept and the council stresses that most owners already abide by them, but it is widely understood that establishing an official code of practice is important in the light of the criticisms made by visitors from northern Europe who find it distressing to see animals working in the summer heat (although owners report that the “burro-taxis” are particularly popular among the British and the Japanese). Fines for failure to comply range between 750 and 3,000 euros.
Image: Mijas tourist office (Town Hall)
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