ISSUE NO. 1646
19 - 25 January 2017
AXARQUÍA - COSTA TROPICAL YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Barbaric! Animals shot in evil attack By Simon Firth and Matt Ford Five dogs were shot and killed and a horse nearly blinded in a ‘barbaric’ attack which is being blamed on hunters in a natural park near Granada. The plight of Illona Mitchell’s animals has led rescue centres and animal charities from around the world to offer their help. Enough money has now been raised after pictures of the attacked animals were shared on the internet, to raise money for a reward to find the attackers. Ms Mitchell, who moved to Caniles from Chester in 2004, owns more than 170 hectares of land in the Sierra de Baza natural park. After she removed her land from the hunting zone in the park, she says she was subjected to verbal abuse in the street and threats and intimidation from hunters angered by her decision. After reporting these offences Ms Mitchell says Guardia Civil officers searched her land and at one stage even mounted patrols at night. But the attackers then struck on the night of the Three Kings’ celebrations
knowing that officers would be busy and that the following day would be a fiesta. When Ms Mitchell drove up to her land on January 7 she found dead and dying animals in their kennels and her rescue horse, Rocco, so badly beaten it may lose an eye. Three of the dogs lay dead, two died later at a vet’s and the horse has been left so traumatised the vet is struggling to get close enough to administer its medication. Ms Mitchell believes at least two people took part in the attack, one holding the animals while the other fired the shots at almost point blank range. One dog was shot between the eyes, another was shot through the side of the face and one through the roof of the mouth. In an attempt to raise the alarm she was forced to bang on the door at the home of a police officer who then alerted members of Seprona to the crime. “When they arrived they couldn’t believe what they were looking at. It was a vile and barbaric attack,” she says. Ms Mitchell’s friends have rallied, putting her plight on the internet and even starting a Crowdfunding page to help
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Zany zoo TRANSFER of the remaining animals from the Peña Escrita Zoo has now taken place, over a year since its closure. The zoo, which was never legal, was closed following a raft of infringements, including absence of permits, poor condition of its animals, negligent management, undocumented animals, animal deaths and uncontrolled breeding. See page 2
Food and farming AXARQUIA’S tourism chiefs are focusing on the province’s gastronomic and agricultural offerings as the twin prongs of their campaign at this year’s International Tourism Fair in Madrid.
Also high on the region’s agenda at the fair, now in its 37th year, is the attractiveness of the region’s tourist-friendly natural landscapes and scenery. See page 4
Hot to tot VELEZ-MALAGA’S mayor, Antonio Moreno Ferrer, along with other members of the council, have met with Francisco Pastor and Elisabeth Diaz, the parents of the first baby born this year in Andalucia,
who they have named Carlota. The mayor and other council members presented the newborn, who is resident in Caleta de Velez, with a basket and various other gifts. See page 9
On the buses MONDAY January 16 has been a historic day for Motril. The city’s new bus station has opened its doors. The building which is modern and strategically located, next to the new access point to the city from the motorway, becomes an important nerve centre for transport from the capital of the region for all the those on the Costa Tropical, given See page 10 its proximity to Granada, Malaga and Almería. HORSE ATTACKED: Left almost blinded. raise funds for her vet’s bills and put up a reward to find those behind the attacks. You can find that page at https://www.justgiving.com/c rowdfunding/Illona-Mitchell.