According to the Councillor for Environmental Health, Andrés Márquez, the Council has apparently been paying special attention to animal related matters since the beginning of the year and is requesting that everyone takes heed of the municipal ordinances relating to animals and health.
The Council has apparently been conducting a more thorough inspection of the whole municipality in relation to all matters animal.
According to the Councillor, the first half of January saw the capture of 20 dogs, 18 cats, a heron and two seagulls.
Five denuncias have been issued in relation to dogs defecating in public, most notably in calle Granada, Plaza de España and Plaza de la Ermita.
In addition, six cats have been collected from the streets following road accidents, a drowned sheep was recovered from El Playazo beach and an owl was recovered in Fuente del Baden.
Since July 2010, as part of a public health campaign, 440 pigeons have been captured and removed from the centre of the town.
The project to control the number of pigeons was started after complaints from residents about damage being caused by the birds and the health risk posed to children in particular.
Histoplasmosis is a respiratory disease which can affect both animals and humans and is caused by the fungus Hiptoplasma capsulatum. The fungus is deposited in the excrement of, amongst others, pigeons and can then be transported by the wind. The birds themselves are not affected by the disease.