Madrid Wildfires Leave 200 Animals Stranded Amid Lack of Rescue Protocols

• Over 200 animals at 'Santuario Vegan' are stranded as wildfires spread across western Madrid and Ávila.
• A lack of state-mandated emergency protocols for animal rescue has left staff and volunteers unable to coordinate a timely evacuation.
• Despite the 2023 Animal Welfare Act requiring animal protection measures in civil contingency plans, regional frameworks in Madrid fail to include them.

Emergency Challenges

• As fires reached Almorox and San Martín de Valdeiglesias, shelter staff were forced to evacuate, leaving animals behind due to a lack of clear access instructions from authorities.
• The sanctuary houses farm animals rescued from the food industry, many of which are ill, elderly, or have limited mobility, making emergency evacuation highly complex.
• Initial requests for access to feed, water, and provide medical care to vulnerable animals were denied until a Guardia Civil patrol eventually agreed to escort staff to the site.

Institutional Failures

• Article 21 of Spain's 2023 Animal Welfare Act mandates the inclusion of animal protection measures in civil protection plans.
• Current regional plans in Madrid—specifically INFOMA (forest fires) and PLATERCAM (territorial protection)—still lack operational protocols for animal rescue.
• This mirrors previous disasters, such as the Tres Cantos fire, where the burden of rescuing, rehoming, and performing emergency euthanasia fell entirely on civilian volunteers and medical professionals.

Ongoing Efforts and Policy

• The Parliamentary group SUMAR introduced a non-legislative proposal in March 2024 to standardize a national protocol for animal emergencies.
• Proposed measures include coordinated search efforts with animal protection groups, integration with official emergency data, and the creation of specialized veterinary response units.
• While the Military Emergency Unit (UME) has reported containing parts of the fire front, evacuations across Madrid, Toledo, Ávila, and Castellón have reached 121,000 people.