Donkey on Santorini Collapses Carrying Load of Trash

Animal rights activities and the public are fuming, again, about the treatment of donkeys on the island of Santorini, after images of a donkey collapsing under a heavy load of trash began circulating the internet this past weekend.

In a post on X, in Greek, one can see the image of a donkey carrying trash and collapsing on the ground of an allyway in Santorini. The post calls upon the police and public to take action, and highlights that ‘silence is complicity’.

Greece has repeatedly come under fire for what critics call insufficient protection measures for donkeys, along with many other animals in the country.

Thanks to media coverage in the past, and particularly intense pressure from media in the United Kingdom, in 2021 the Greek government promised to tighten pre-existing controls regarding the use of donkeys for tourist rides and their ‘inhumane’ treatment on the island of Santorini.

The bad press for Greece over the donkeys on Santorini was such an issue in international media that even Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee penned an open letter to the Greek government in 2019 demanding that action be taken.

However, the incident of the weekend reveals that even after so many years and some improvements, more work is to be done.

Meanwhile, other posts on X, again by animal rights’ groups and tourists over the past months, continue to highlight their concerns over the treatment of Santorini’s donkeys, noting that they are still used to carry tourists up the steep steps leading from the port to Fira.

Groups like PETA share numerous images and videos of donkeys on Santorini with open and untreated wounds, short chains, and in the sun without food or water.