PACMA has called for the immediate suspension of the controversial donkey-taxi service in Mijas, after claiming the animals were used during a yellow heat alert, in direct breach of municipal rules.
The incident, flagged by the animal activist party to the Guardia Civil, allegedly took place on June 25, when temperatures soared under an official Aemet alert.
According to PACMA, donkeys were seen carrying tourists at 2pm and 4pm, precisely within the banned time window of 2pm and 6pm when yellow-level alerts are active.
Municipal regulations, updated in April, restrict the working hours of donkeys during heat warnings to prevent health risks.
PACMA argues this latest case is just ‘another example of institutional neglect,’ and insists the Town Hall has failed to enforce the rules.
Local party coordinator Isabel Ardao criticised the Town Hall for inaction, warning that without enforcement, the law is effectively meaningless when ‘tourism interests prevail.’
The animalist group is now demanding the preventive suspension of the service ‘until strict compliance is guaranteed.’
It also pointed to ongoing legal complaints against both the municipality and several muleteers, alleging mistreatment.
The call follows a May protest in which dozens of Brits, locals and other expats gathered in Mijas to demand an end to the donkey taxi tradition, a decades-old tourist draw in this part of the Costa del Sol.
PACMA has long branded the donkey taxis as ‘institutionalised animal exploitation’, and with summer now in full swing, scrutiny over their use is likely to intensify.
