El Rocio - Death in the afternoon

Picture the scene, an ordinary Thursday morning in Seville. The streets are crowded with a line of muscle-bound oxen, pulling gypsy-style caravans, all striving to outdo each other with an array of billowing fabric and garish colors. Proud Andalusian stallions flick their tails excitedly as a pedestrian skims their hind quarters. A dark-eyed young woman adeptly applies her lipstick, whilst sitting side-saddle on her steed, dressed immaculately in a polka-dot flamenco dress and matching flower in her hair. The beer is already flowing and the drums rolling, the excitement and expectation hang unmistakably in the air, as man, woman and beast wait impatiently to begin their  week-long round trip, taking them through the wild, Andalusian terrain to the object of their devotion, the Virgin of Rocío.

 

Rocieros waiting to leave Plaza Salvador in the heart of Sevilla, destination: El Rocio

Welcome to the world of Romerías, which directly translated means pilgrimage, but bears no relation to the sexless, sterility of any catholic religious festivals I was forced to attend as a child. And nowhere tops the drama and spectacle of the Romería like ‘El Rocío’, the week-long festival that takes place in the baking Andalusian late springtime, where religion, fashion, flirting, booze and revelry join together in a heady mix that guarantees a week of sore feet and hangovers.

The dancing and revelry starts as soon as the procession begins

But it’s that very combination of intense Andalusian sun, long days crossing the parched earth and even longer nights of intense partying, that each year has a somewhat less folkloric side effect; the unpalatably high level of equine collateral damage, with horses dropping dead on route from exhaustion and others dying at El Rocío itself from starvation, lack of water and colic. And this year as the hermandades (brotherhoods) set out slightly later than usual in the first week of June, the unforgiving heat promises to push the thermometers up to heat-stroke-inducing levels.

Photo of dead horse reportedly taken in El Rocío in 2012

 Each year without fail horses, mules and donkeys perish, but the highest number of deaths was 25 in 2008, with 17 failing to make it back home last year. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, none were as a result of neglect or cruelty, and occurred rapidly, some dying in seconds. Animal charity Asanda begs to differ, compiling their own report by equine veterinary specialist Marta Gallego Torres, on the possible causes of death, in which it was concluded that the most likely were indeed ‘lack of water, stress and extreme exertion’. It went onto say that in contrary to the official verdict of a swift end, much more likely would have been an ‘agonizing and painfully slow death’.

But why do these avoidable casualties continue to happen? It would seem that amongst the more knowledgeable riders making the pilgrimage to El Rocío, there’s also a less-experienced bunch riding rented animals, with very little common sense or indeed interest in treating their mounts as anything other than disposable modes of transport. In other cases horses that are barely exercised all year are pulled out of their field, with no level of fitness and expected to last the six-day return journey. Not surprising then that some fall by the wayside. As humans we wouldn’t expect someone to run an ultra-marathon with no training, in Saharan temperatures, with little water, without expecting some fatalities.

But what to do? Different organizations try to take proactive steps to promote responsible animal welfare during the pilgrimage, such as handing out leaflets and providing volunteer vets on site. The official Plan Romero 2009 ‘Guidelines for the care of horses during El Rocío’ encourage riders to ‘be conscious that your horse is a living being and not a machine…. And to respect and treat it like the friend that it is. Horses tire, need feeding and decent water…. They are grateful for a loving treatment and an encouraging pat during the camino. If we don’t forget any of this, we will have started the journey in an appropriate manner, together with our loyal companion.’ For most animal lovers these would seem like rather obvious suggestions, but the fact that since their publication in 2009, 83 equine deaths have resulted, perhaps the touching sentiment has fallen on deaf ears.

As well as the El Rocío equine guidelines, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and the Environment provides an official veterinary presence as part of their ‘Operación Romero’.  But Asanda’s report calls for more vets both at El Rocío and on the pilgrimage route itself and for owners to immediately call on their assistance as soon as an animal shows any sign of physical distress.

A lack of interest in these statistics by the powers that be would suggest that these animal deaths are not considered worthy of prosecution. In Spain abandonment and cruelty to animals is punishable by law with potential fines of between €2,000 and €30,000, but the regular fatalities during this religious festival are rarely punished, mainly because proving they are not as a result of natural causes and are in fact directly related to abuse and neglect is extremely difficult. Last year not one of the 17 deaths (14 horses and 3 mules) was even reported to the police.

So, it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing. Some horses and mules will die during the duration of El Rocío, that is a given, in the same way that in UK that at least one horse will be put down at some point during the Grand National. Is it hypocritical then for me to come down so hard on the Rocieros and let the racing world off the hook? In part maybe it is, but in the racing world animals are generally cared for, trained, respected and rarely abused. Whereas at El Rocío, in some quarters, showing off and partying take precedent over the fair treatment of the animals that have duly transported the pilgrims to their week of fun.

In the end if every animal is cared for responsibly, not just as it makes its way to El Rocío and back again, but in the weeks leading up to the Romería and on its return, then this for me will be a sign of progress. And maybe, just maybe, fewer will die as a result.

 

Comments

[Publicado por: Patricia]

Deberían traducir este artículo para la edición española, ya que la mayor parte de los españoles desconocemos lo que sucede cada año en El Rocío con los caballos. Somos unos bárbaros!! Está bien que lo sepan fuera, pero los españoles debemos estar informados también de lo que sucede en nuestro país.

[Publicado por: Ferias y Romerias... ¿Solo diversión y jolgorio todos los dias...?]

Un año mas se masca la tragedia, shame of them... Ferias y Romerias... ¿Solo diversión y jolgorio todos los dias...? https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ferias-y-Romerias-Solo-diversi%C3%B3n-y-jolgorio-todos-los-dias/105605036145350