Live duck festival to return if animal law changes are passed

PALMA
THE Majorcan Unionists (UM) are to present proposals to the Balearic Parliament to modify already-existing animal protection laws. If passed, the changes could mean the return of live birds to the Can Picafort and Sa Colonia de Sant Jordi duck throwing festivals.

The wording of the UM proposals specify that “certain festivals” which have been celebrated on Majorca since the 1950s should be allowed to recover their traditional format. The proposals makes underlying reference to the duck throwing contests which originally used live birds released from offshore boats for subsequent recapture.

Because of the Animal Protection laws introduced in the Balearics, plastic ducks replaced live ones some years ago, much to the chagrin of traditionalists.

UM President, Josep Melia, was very careful during his announcement of his party's proposed changes to the law, to say that modified legislation would permit the use of live animals only in circumstances where no harm could be done to them. Melia claimed that the Animal Protection Law, first introduced in April 1992, has had knock-on effects that were almost certainly not intended by those who in essence wanted to stop abuse of animals.

Melia said that there are many Majorcan festivals and customs less than a century old which have included live animals under condtions where they are in no danger of coming to any harm. He explained that the Animal Protection Law in its current form has prohibited their inclusion and detrimentally altered the nature of many festivals. “We are talking about festivals that have been introduced into our culture within living memory and do not involve torture or misuse of any kind,” insisted Melia. He said that it was important not to take the protection law to extremes.