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OFFBEAT

The war on dog poo: Spanish town turns to DNA testing

The central Spanish city of Guadalajara is working on a unique plan to crack down on pet owners who don't pick up poo.

Published: 2 February 2016 12:04 CET
The war on dog poo: Spanish town turns to DNA testing
Photo: Indi Samarajiva / Flickr Creative Commons.

Guadalajara city hall is working to create a database of dogs' DNA in the city so officials can identify and punish the owners who don't pick up after their pets, the city announced on Monday.

Apparently pet poop negligence is a major problem in the city of less than 85,000. 

“This measure will increase the vigilance on the streets in order to prevent dog-owners from leaving their pets' feaces in the public roads,” the city hall wrote in a statement.

“This situation is one of the number one complaints voiced throughout the year.”

Currently police are only able to fine pet-owners if they catch them in the act of leaving excrement behind and the city reports that even though officers try to investigate cases, “it is very difficult to detect these infractions”.

To create the database, the city will start asking dog owners, potentially this year, to provide officials with a sample of their canines' saliva or fur.

Using the database, officers will be able to take samples of dog droppings and then have a lab analyze the faecal findings to determine which pooch plopped the poop.

If the lab finds a match within the database, the dog's owner will face a fine of up to €250 as well as the costs of processing the sample.

“We hope that these measures will improve the health, hygiene and aesthetics of our city,” said environmental councillor Francisco Úbeda at a presentation of the plan on Monday.

The database plan also means that all police officers will be asked to be on the lookout for poop perpetrators, not just officers in environmental departments. 

“The local police will become… a key element in the promotion of civic behaviours that will result in a more healthy and secure city,” the city wrote.

But the database won't only be used to penalize perpetual poo-droppers. It will also be used to investigate cases of animal abuse.

The plan also calls for dogs to be properly restrained and ways to check on potentially dangerous dogs.

Various other Spanish towns have put forth similar plans for dog-poo DNA testing in recent years, including the Catalan city of Tarragona, Huelva in Andalusia and Málaga.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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