The traditional “donkey taxis” have been running since the 1960s when local farmers worked out that tourists would pay to be transported by their beasts of burden on tours round the village. But finally after years of campaigning, the town hall is poised to introduce a raft of new measures to improve the welfare of the town’s donkeys and that includes setting a weight limit on what they are allowed to carry. One of the key points is a ban on anyone riding the donkey if they weigh in at over 80kg. Animals rights groups claim the animals should not carry anything over a third of their own body weight. The measures were drawn up “in consultation with both the muleteers and different animal welfare groups,” explained Nicolás Cruz, the local Councillor for Transportation and Mobility in Mijas.

Source: The Local November 12, 2019 13:08 UTC