Benalmádena puts care of stray and abandoned animals and control of pigeons, seagulls and wild boar contract out to tender

Benalmádena town hall will assume the obligations imposed on local administrations by the Spanish law 7/2023, on the protection of the rights and welfare of animals. It will now take charge of the collection, accommodation, maintenance and veterinary care of abandoned or stray animals, as other town halls on the Costa del Sol have been doing in recent months. The service has been put out to tender for slightly more than 496,000 euros and a duration of two years, but what sets it apart from other municipalities is that the council has included in the contract the control of wild species such as pigeons, seagulls and wild boar.

With regard to pigeons, the specific technical specifications foresee a scope of action limited to Arroyo de la Miel and Benalmádena Pueblo, with the possibility of selective captures in public areas when it is necessary to reduce the population and their transfer to a facility registered as a zoological centre. In addition, an inspection of the areas with the highest incidence of birds will be carried out, with a minimum of four annual assessments (one per quarter), which the specifications foresee could be doubled and which will affect different parts of Benalmádena Pueblo and Arroyo de la Miel. The successful bidder will also be obliged to control seagull nests in all municipal buildings, which must be removed within 48 hours of notification.

The contract not only includes procedures for the control of wildlife such as pigeons and seagulls, but also wild boar, which the specifications consider "an increasingly frequent problem in Benalmádena". The action envisaged for these cases is that set out in a resolution of the Andalusian regional government in 2023, which establishes the possibility, on non-hunting land, the placement of traps for wild boar and feral pigs. Last June, the regional administration declared a hunting emergency situation in relation to these animals for the eleventh consecutive year. Poultry on the public highway are also part of the subject of the contract.

The company awarded the contract will have to respond to instructions from the municipal health department or the Local Police, "giving priority to emergencies", which include sick, injured, aggressive animals or animals in circumstances that could pose a risk to people, other animals or themselves. The response time for these cases should be 45 minutes, while for non-urgent scenarios it will be three hours.

The animals must be transferred to a veterinary assistance service to be provided by the supplier, which must be operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for urgent cases. The centre must have the capacity to house up to 40 animals, plus a separate area for cats, and the facilities must have lighting and ventilation to ensure "thermal comfort", as well as exercise and resting areas for the animals.