“Changes to the law are needed to prevent the terrible events that have been reported from being repeated.”
540 wild animals mainly deer and boar have been killed in a hunting expedition in Portugal, according to reports.
A group of 16 hunters, from the Monteros de la Cabra hunting society in Badajoz, reportedly paid as much as €8,000 ($9,745) each to hunt in the Torrebela tourist hunting zone, near Azambuja, close to the Portuguese capital Lisbon on 17 and 18 December.
The incident came to light after pictures of the slaughter were shared on social media.
👮🏻♂️Portugal investigará a morte de 540 veados e xabarís 🦌🐗 a mans de 16 cazadores españois en Azambuja, Lisboa.
— Alberto Mancebo (@AlbertoMancebo) December 22, 2020
Segundo as primeiras investigacións os animais foron acurralados nunha finca e masacrados.
Logo, pendurárono todo nas redes sociais para indignación dos portugueses pic.twitter.com/RfRY6oj2jN
‘Environmental crime’
The deputy mayor of Azambuja described the incident as a “massacre” and “environmental crime” since the killed animals were in a fenced-off area and had “nowhere to run.”
Portuguese Minister for the Environment, Joao Pedro Matos Fernandez also condemned the hunt calling it “a vile and hateful act” and ordered an immediate investigation.
He said in a statement: “The reports and news about the indiscriminate slaughter of animals… have nothing to do with hunting, understood as a practice that can contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystems”.
He added: “It is the ministry’s understanding that changes to the law are needed to prevent the terrible events that have been reported from being repeated.”
The aftermath has also prompted Portugal’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests to suspend the hunting permit for the Torrebela hunting zone and launch a probe on the owners of the Torre de Bela land, the organisers and the hunters.
Motive
While the motive behind the senseless slaughter is not yet clear, Portuguese media suggested the massive slaughter could be in relation to an upcoming green energy project, in which the company that owns the land wants to install a solar energy plant buts needs to get construction approval- a permit difficult to obtain if the place is inhabited by wildlife.
Share this story: Spanish hunters kill 540 wild animals in ‘vile and unacceptable’ expedition.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Michelin star awarded to a vegan restaurant in France for the first time
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 19th January 2021
Vegan eatery ONA has also been awarded Michelin’s green star – in recognition of its strong ethical practices. A vegan French restaurant has won a Michelin Guide star, the first for an establishment serving only meat-free products in France. Claire Vallee runs the ONA restaurant in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux, in south-west France. …
Katy Perry tells 109 million followers she and her dog are ‘ready to be 100% vegan’
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 18th January 2021
Katy Perry has announced she is planning to go vegan this year along with her dog Nugget, who has been slowly changing her diet with her. Katy Perry is turning over a new leaf this 2021. The pop superstar recently announced that she is nearly ready to become a full-time vegan. She also added that …
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …