The Teguise City Council and animal protection associations have chosen the town of Tahíche to pay tribute to Timple, the stray dog that was suffocated to death by two people, and who used to be in this town in the municipality.
The park located at the confluence of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and José Cadalso streets has been the place where a plaque has been placed in memory of the murdered dog. "In memory of Timple, who with his sad departure united Lanzarote, becoming a pillar against animal abuse," it reads.
Likewise, a manifesto has been read with a message of vindication from the groups and the City Council to request the urgent modification of the Animal Protection Law in the Parliament of the Canary Islands and that the penalties be increased. It should be remembered that the perpetrators of Timple's death, who gagged and tied the animal by its four legs, recording a video while it was dying that they sent to the City Council, were sentenced to four months in prison after admitting the facts, agreeing to suspend said sentence for two years, provided they do not commit another crime and undergo rehabilitation treatment.
"May his death not have been in vain"
"May his death not have been in vain and may the Animal Protection Law be changed" were the words with which Lucía Hernández, from 7 Días Por 7 Vidas, opened her speech before dozens of people who came to say goodbye to Timple, whose body is still guarded by the authorities and will soon be cremated and his ashes scattered.
"We are very dismayed, because Timple did not deserve this end," said Obelesa Hernández, representative of the Sara animal shelter, who claims to have followed the case of this podenco and the pack to which he belonged, Timple being "the most elusive and difficult to catch." "His only crime was being free, and with him they have snatched a piece of our heart, but we are going to continue fighting for the Law to change and the penalty against murder crimes like this to be 2 years and 1 day," Hernández pointed out, unable to avoid getting emotional and moving those present.
The event, which included a performance by the timple player José Vicente Pérez, has united citizens and groups that care for and protect companion animals on the island, who, together with the Teguise City Council, will demand greater forcefulness from the legislative power in matters of Animal Protection, "since the current Law in the Canary Islands is not enough to fairly condemn this type of brutal acts," they have stated from the Sara Protectora.
Teguise announces that it will increase sanctions
For its part, the Teguise City Council reiterated once again its "absolute rejection" of animal abuse and pledged to fight to achieve greater protection for animals, urgently requesting the modification of the current Animal Protection Law in the Canary Islands. In this sense, the Animal Welfare area announced that "the Municipal Ordinance will be reviewed to increase sanctions for atrocious and despicable conduct, and we will continue to collaborate closely with volunteers to fight against abandonment, mistreatment and in favor of responsible ownership," as stated by its head, Sara Bermúdez.
The councilor reiterated her desire that "this tragic outcome of Timple serve to change things for the better among all the guarantors of animal rights." "This is not going to stay like this, but we need everyone to become an exemplary municipality in terms of animal protection, and the role of the residents themselves is crucial, who can alert the Police to avoid any type of episode with a fatal outcome like the one we have experienced in Teguise and that has the island dismayed. The area's assistance telephone number is 928 84 53 17 and the Teguise Local Police number is 928 84 52 52," the councilor recalled.
