We all know the story of Atlas, the Greek mythological figure forced to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders. While that story is centuries old, t
here are still greek figures forced to do some serious heavy lifting themselves — and these ones are quite real. For years, a trip to the Greek island of Santorini wasn't complete without a
donkey ride from the port to the city proper. Even though there were other means to get there, the "authentic" way to arrive was on the back of a donkey that had to walk up inclines and endure heat as they slogged towards the top of the island.
These donkeys are often loaded with portly tourists, who weighed well above 100 kgs — far more than what an animal its size should be forced to carry. Luckily this month the Greek government passed a law outlawing donkey owners from forcing their animals to give rides to overweight tourists.
That's good news, but it makes you wonder why do they allow any sort of donkey rides in the first place? All around the world, people are becoming aware of the cruelty and frivolity of using animals as tourist attractions such as giving rides. In Spanish the phrase for such action is
"tracción a sangre" or "pulled by blood" and that's just what it is.
An animal through blood and sweat, without any choice of its own, is used as if it were a normal vehicle able to endure normal wear and tear. The truth is, they are not. Ask the Greek government to go one step further and get rid of donkey rides altogether and help end this cruel practice once and for all.
Photo credit: Randy Connolly
