Every August for 98 years the town has thrown ducks in the water for people to catch and swim back to shore with them. About 50 ducks are thrown into the sea. The video below shows a woman capturing a duck as the protester is heard saying “Continue, continue. Continue to abuse, I am filming you. A little bit of empathy for the animals. They also have a life, like your children or your family.” He is a member of the animal rights group Animal Rescue Espana and other protesters can be heard yelling “You would not do that to your dog”.
It is not clear why the woman was not charged with assault. While I would not classify a duck as a lethal weapon, it would certainly classify a duck attack as assault.
The woman then turns violent and, holding the duck by the legs, repeatedly hit the man with the animal. It is not clear how the duck fared. Animal rights activists say that these ducks (even though being used as weapons) suffer “stress, internal hemorrhaging, pain, fear and suffering.”
The mayor has promised to hold a referendum on whether to end the “duck chase” like bull fighting in Spain on the basis for animal cruelty. A petition with 10,000 signatures have called for its end — two years before its 100 year anniversary.
Supporters of the festival say that there is no reason (when they can eat the ducks or stuff their livers for food) that they cannot use them for a swim and capture game. Activists say that many animals are eaten but that does not relieve humans of the obligation to treat them humanely and that capturing and holding these ducks for a long swim is facially cruel.
What do you think?
