The Association of Breeders and Conservators of the Canary Camel has denounced the action of "bad practice" carried out last Tuesday, June 6, in Timanfaya (Lanzarote), with a baby camel by a particular owner.
The Association, through its president Guacimara Cabrera, has expressed "its resounding rejection", and wanted to clarify that "this is an isolated action, which does not represent, at any time, either the group of camel drivers of Timanfaya or the Canary Camel Association, or any other group that works with this animal."
"This is an action that we unanimously condemn from our Association," she makes clear. "In no way does this action represent the camel drivers of the Canary Islands," she adds. "We want to clarify that these events are isolated, and this treatment is in no case a usual practice in the handling of these animals," she acknowledges.
"We are sure that something similar will not happen again", the president of the Association has assured.
"From the Breeders Association we work every day for the protection of this species, actively and with actions very different from those included in the complaint," she says. "We are on the side of those who defend nature and we believe that all the actions that are carried out within a responsible leisure with these camels, to educate on the importance of this animal, and always under the standards of welfare, are fundamental for its conservation," she added.
"It is the City Council of Yaiza that should be in charge of the possible sanctions, which should ensure animal welfare and that this type of practice is not carried out in its area, although from the association we maintain control for the maintenance of these standards of care and protection," added Cabrera.
Support from associations
"Our goal is to make this type of situation visible, so that events like those that occurred do not happen again and are definitively eradicated." "Although it is a mistake, and we know that the camel driver has already apologized for this fact, our duty is to continue maintaining controls and ensure at all times the welfare of this breed so important in the culture and traditions of the Canary Islands," Cabrera said.
The rejection of the Association of Breeders of the Canary Camel has been joined by various individuals and institutions such as Juan Capote, president of the Federation of Associations of Native Breeds.
"In relation to a regrettable audiovisual, recently published on social networks, in which you can see how a young Canary camel (dromedary) is forced with violence to carry excessive weight, we want to express our indignation with what happened, as well as our concern about the possibility that a painful isolated event, is used by certain radical media to identify an entire group," he says.
"From FARACAN we work to ensure compliance with all regulations on animal welfare, and we are proud of the good treatment we give to our specimens." Therefore, "we condemn any manifestation of abuse and ask that no circumstance, before which we clearly express our rejection, be used to identify it with the attitude of any of the members of this group," stressed the President.
