Recognizing dogs and cats as citizens.

Politicians in a Spanish town have just voted to recognize dogs and cats as "non-human citizens," granting them equal rights to humans.

The Spanish town of Trigueros del Valle has just recognized dogs and cats as "non-human citizens." Photo: EFE

The council of the town of Trigueros del Valle, with a population of over 300 in the Castile and León region, has voted unanimously to grant dogs and cats rights equivalent to those of humans. “Dogs and cats have lived with us for over 1,000 years. And the mayor must represent not only humans but also other groups,” the British newspaper Independent quoted Mayor Pedro Pérez Espinosa of the Socialist Party as saying.

This initiative is one of several efforts to protect animals from abuse and acknowledge their vital role in the agricultural town. Beyond its symbolic significance, the town will also take responsibility for abandoned dogs and cats and condemn those who mistreat their animals.

This decision was met with enthusiastic applause from animal rights organizations. “We have become more humane thanks to the sensitivity and intelligence of the people of Trigueros del Valle. This is a great day when human and non-human citizens are the same,” declared the animal rights organization Rescate 1.

“This seems like a historic declaration, akin to the day children’s rights were first recognized,” Mercedes Cano, an animal rights activist, told radio station Cope. “Trigueros del Valle is a place where people love animals; they have lots of dogs and cats. People coexist and work alongside animals,” Cano said.

"We're not asking people to love dogs and cats, but they have to respect them. If you respect them, you'll also respect your neighbors," said Ms. Cano.

Even animal lovers might think this decision goes too far, but those opposed to bullfighting also have reason to rejoice. The new law also includes a provision prohibiting “any act that results in mutilation or death of a non-human citizen.”

Quite a few towns, cities, and regions in Spain have banned bullfighting, and the new law in Trigueros del Valle aims to do the same. Bullfighting is completely banned in some areas, such as Catalonia, although the central government in Madrid is still considering recognizing bullfighting as part of Spain's national heritage. If a decision is made, supporters would receive tax breaks and, importantly, would be exempt from bans imposed by local authorities.

Animal rights activists in Spain complain that this is the time of year when animals are treated most cruelly because many places hold festivals. In the town of Tordesillas, 30 miles away, locals chase a bull through the town every summer to stab it to death. In 2002, the town of Manganeses de la Polvorosa in northern Spain abolished the tradition of throwing a goat from the church tower to the ground every year.

In the US, activists are fighting for greater recognition for chimpanzees. In May, a US court ruled that four chimpanzees in a university research lab could not be treated as property, but should be considered human beings. This was the first time individual rights were granted to a non-human animal.

(According to TPO)