Spain’s first public pet cemetery opens with grief help for homeowners

Beginning this week, it ought to probably be attainable to bury beloved pets in a public cemetery only for them.

Positioned in Málaga’s Parque Cementerio, this new facility is greater than solely a resting place; it incorporates a memorial park, crematorium, farewell corridor, an space for spreading ashes, and a burial zone for as lots as 500 pets. Solely pets beneath 200 kilograms in weight shall be accepted.

There are completely completely different pet cemeteries in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Zaragoza, nonetheless none of them are publicly owned just like the one in Malaga. Burying a pet in Spain is prone to be powerful; doing so illegally might find yourself in fines from €3,000 as lots as €60,000.

Consistent with Juan Antonio de Luque, president of Málaga’s College of Veterinarians, this launch is essential for the Andalusian province, residence to over half one million pets.

“There are over half one million animals, together with canines, cats, ferrets, and completely completely different species, with 114,000 contained in the capital metropolis of Málaga alone. Beforehand, homeowners wishing to bury their pets needed to resort to personal cemeteries,” he educated Spanish newspaper El País.

Alongside cremation or burial, Malaga’s cemetery handles post-death paperwork like transporting deceased pets and updating registries. Somewhat extra distinctive is the psychological help supplied to homeowners by psychologists.

“The problem of demise is taboo for society generally, nonetheless the demise of animals is seen far more critically on account of of us query whether or not or not or not the grief over shedding a canine or cat is prone to be equated with that of shedding a human,”  director of the Animals and Society division at Rey Juan Carlos College Nuria Máximo educated El País.

“As we perceive that household pets are extra members, their caregivers expertise a part of that course of, that transition in route of demise, and a great deal of lack the monetary means to bury them as they might one completely different member of the family. Due to this actuality, it is important to have public cemeteries, as they facilitate the grieving course of.”

The charges for the pet cemetery vary from €40 for a significant collective cremation to €975, relying on the service.

Developing on most individuals pet cemetery in Málaga began in 2016. It worth €1.1 million to assemble.