Madrid, España. Two decrees in progress, two ministries in conflict and no legal category for sanctuaries. While the Government updates — fifty years late — the regulations on establishments that house animals, those who rescue cows, pigs and hens from industrial farming still have no name in the law.
Gijón, España. The High Court of Justice of Asturias declares the II Wolf Management Plan null and void and reinforces the debate on coexistence with wildlife.
Madrid, España. The Government is working on a new regulation that will decide which animals can live in our homes. This is the future "positive list of companion animals," a key tool that could mark a before and after in animal protection in Spain.
Valencia, España. Four animal defence organisations have filed a joint complaint with Valencia City Council over the alleged mistreatment of a dromedary during the "Circ de Nadal", a show that kept the animal performing despite its visible limp. The case, documented on video between December 2025 and January 2026, once again raises a question that Spanish society has been postponing for years: how long can entertainment justify the suffering of a being that feels pain?
Brussels, Belgium. Regulation (EU) 2026/405, approved by the European Parliament on 11 February 2026 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 2 March, establishes a direct prohibition: no detergent or surfactant whose final formulation or ingredients have been subject to animal testing may be placed on the European market.
Sevilla, España. The law that was supposed to ban cockfighting throughout Spain left it, in practice, intact. Law 7/2023, of March 28, on the protection of animal rights and welfare included in its first draft an article 27 that expressly prohibited organizing, holding, or publicizing these fights anywhere in the national territory. That paragraph was removed during the parliamentary process.
Brussels, Belgium. On April 27, 2026, the European Parliament will hold a plenary session to debate the EU's first-ever regulation on the welfare of dogs and cats. Its central pillar is universal traceability: mandatory microchipping and registration for all dogs, including those used for hunting. But as Europe moves toward this equal treatment, Spanish legislation continues to classify these animals in a separate category, with fewer rights and less oversight. The regulation could change that. Or not.
Madrid, España. On May 7 and 8, 2026, the trial for the events reported after the release of images showing severe abuse against animals used in experimentation will be held in Madrid.
CDMX, México. On March 9, 2025, at the Monumental Plaza México — with a capacity for 42,000 people and considered the largest bullring on the planet — the last six bulls were fought under the rules of traditional bullfighting. Today, one year later, that day has become a historic date: the last time an animal was tortured and killed in that ring.
Madrid, España. Two ministries, two draft Royal Decrees, and thousands of dogs caught in the middle: while the Spanish government debates how to regulate zoological nuclei, animals used in hunting activities remain trapped in a legal vacuum that, according to animal protection organizations, could cement decades of lack of protection.
Madrid, España. More than 17,000 citizen emails and a formal submission from AnimaNaturalis demanded in February 2026 that dogs used in hunting be excluded from the new Royal Decree on Traditional Zoological Nuclei from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). The Ministry's response came in two words: "partially accepted." What does that mean, in practice, for the thousands of individuals living chained up in hunting kennels? Almost nothing.
España. Data from the Ministry of Culture reveals that between 2000 and 2019, the number of municipalities with third-category bullrings plummeted by 61%, dropping from 845 to just 328. Is the territorial base of an industry built on the suffering of thousands of bulls each year collapsing on its own, or is public money simply being concentrated to sustain what the public no longer wants?
Madrid, España. On 5 March 2026, the EU Court of Justice will hold an unprecedented public hearing on the European Commission’s failure to comply with the European Citizens’ Initiative “End the Cage Age.” Can European justice compel the Commission to honour its 2021 promise and finally put an end to cages on farms?
Madrid, España. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) has opened a public consultation on a new Royal Decree that would regulate so-called “traditional zoological facilities.” While it may sound technical, this draft regulation could have serious consequences for thousands of animals in Spain.
CDMX, México. On February 5, the Monumental Plaza of Mexico City marks 80 years since its inauguration, but for the first time in its history, this milestone will not be celebrated with the bloody bullfights that defined eight decades of animal exploitation.
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