Overview
- Guardia Civil’s nature unit is leading the case after a van carrying 36 dogs was opened on arrival in Palma and 27 were found dead with nine surviving in poor condition.
- The animals belonged to Mallorcan hunters returning from Lithuania, where the mostly young dogs had been trained for the woodcock season.
- Most hunters flew home, while two owners drove the dogs by van from Lithuania to Barcelona before boarding the commercial ferry to Palma.
- Investigators are taking statements and examining the vehicle, with ventilation failure considered a working but unconfirmed hypothesis pending necropsy results.
- Reports note that current maritime rules allow hunting dogs to travel in closed vehicles on ferries, a permitted practice now under scrutiny following the incident.