ISSUE NO. 1621
28 July - 3 August 2016
AXARQUÍA - COSTA TROPICAL YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Rincon takes action for animals By Joe Chivers A circus which planned to perform i n R i n c o n d e la Victoria has had its licence revoked by local authorities after they discovered they used animals in their shows. The Circo Jamaica, which planned to perform for three weeks in Rincon, had described itself as a ‘musical circus.’ However, when technicians inspected the circus, they discovered several differe n t a n i m a l s b e yond the usual cats and
dogs. The technicians discovered ponies, a puma, two ostriches, four goats and a camel. Rincon de la Victoria passed a city ordinance last October, making the municipality a ‘F rien d City o f the Animals,’ and forbidding circuses from using animals in their shows. According to the municipality’s councillor for Acti-
vity of Public R oa ds a nd Trade, Pedro Fernandez Ibar (IU), the circus said that the animals were not going to be used in any of the shows in Rincon. “We are committed to circ us e s tha t do not inc lude these shows” Fernandez Ibar said. Circuses using animals in their acts is not as uncom-
mon in Spain as it is in other parts of Europe such as Portugal and Belgium, where the us e of a nima ls is completely banned. Rincon is the latest in a long list of towns in Spain that have taken action on the is s ue how e ve r, w ith Barcelona, Cordoba, and the provincial capital, Malaga, having banned the practice. Axarquia has seen a string of animal cruelty stories recently, including a couple found to be keeping 39 cats and 13 dogs in squalor in their Velez-Malaga home. However, these towns’ policies show a turna round in the perception of animal rights in Spain, which have long been a bone of contention amongst expats arriving from the UK. Animal rescue shelters have taken root across the area, and with police appearing to be taking a stronger view of cruelty, expats may soon not have so much to worry about.
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Flying high THE Torre del Mar air show is back for another year. Lovers of aerial acrobatics will have the opportunity to witness three days of magical manoeuvres and jaw
dropping stunts as the show rockets its way through the hearts of thousands of spectators between Friday July 29 and Sunday July See page 2 31.
Eco warriors THIRTY architecture students from the University of Malaga have a challenge on their hands. The plucky go-getters must put their heads together to figure out how to expand Nerja without compromising its relationship with the environment. See page 4
Peaches in peril THE scenic Axarquia town of Periana is known for its ripe and juicy peaches, but this year the town’s ‘day of the peach,’ an annual celebration
which has been running for the last 13 years, has had to be pushed back due to an unusually low harvest. See page 7
Running wild THE very first night-time run is set to take place in Rincon de la Victoria on Saturday, August 6. The ‘Night Trail La Jabega’ will allow fitness fanatics to power their way through a 16km run that will See page 9 take them through mountains and along beaches.
Playful pooches DOG owners in Torre del Mar will finally have their wish, now that the town will have its first dog beach. A designated area, measuring 250 me-
tres, is currently being planned by the municipal authorities, although reactions have not been entirely positive. See page 10