Session: A chosen one fights for the treatment of donkeys

Parliament has to deal with all sorts of subjects. Thus, after nurseries, AVS or LPP and before war material, the National had to look into the treatment reserved in Switzerland for donkeys, mules and other hinnies! Indeed, Anna Giacometti (PLR / GR) asked via a motion to revise the law so that they can live with their congeners. Motion which was accepted Wednesday evening by 99 votes against 75.

The elected official pointed out that the current legislation does not make a distinction between horses and donkeys. But donkeys belong to an animal species in their own right and are distinguished from horses not only by their appearance, but also by their physiology and their behavior, noted the elected official. “Donkeys and horses show notable differences in their social organization and they systematically seek the company of individuals of the same species,” she explained.

“A horse cannot therefore represent an adequate social partner for a donkey, a mule or a hinny, and vice versa. By making no distinction between the different species of equidae, the law does not cover this reality,” she insisted.

Anna Giacometti also asked for specific detention conditions for donkeys compared to horses. “Switzerland currently has more than 11,000 donkeys, a number that has increased by 18% since 2016. But they need permanent access to shelter, regardless of how long they are kept outdoors. The reason: their high sensitivity to humidity because of their coat which, unlike that of horses, is not waterproof,” she argued.

His motion was opposed by Martin Haab (UDC / ZH). “Donkeys and horses are closely related, so closely that they seek closeness and mate naturally for millennia, resulting in mules and hinnies,” he explained. How can we say that two animal species that mate naturally are not compatible? It’s absurd!”

States have yet to decide.