Toss the Turkey Controversy - a Spanish Fiesta

The Spanish are big on their fiestas - half the time it's any old excuse for a street party, but the one outlined below has to be one of the oddest (and funniest) of them all!

The tradition was believed to have started when two families who had fallen out, made up and became friends again.

The tradition says that the (female) turkey must be thrown from the local church tower, which stands 35 metres above the local square. The turkey is thrown into the waiting crowd below, which this year contained plain clothed Guardia Civil officers, and the person who catches the turkey is assured good luck for the rest of the year, but they must look after the turkey well, and it must die of old age and not through any other means.

The town residents are of the belief that the bird suffers no injury, but in 2003 a vet sent from the Department of Agriculture stated in his report that there was indeed animal cruelty involved, 'especially psychological damage due to the acute stress suffered by the bird when it is thrown from a great height into a screaming mob of people'.

In past years the local socialist-controlled Town Hall has been fined for allowing this cruelty to continue, but last year it was decided to fine only the person who actually threw the turkey. Francisco Jose CL was fined €2001, but the Town Hall as the festival organiser agreed to pay this as well, and it was thought to be included in their fiesta budget.

The Andalucian Animal rights foundation is calling for the government to impose the maximum fine possible on whoever throws the turkey - €30,000 - to actively discourage this practise.

However, local residents claim that their tradition is being unfairly victimised because there are no moves made against the much bigger and more cruel animal practises being carried out in Spain on a regular basis, where money changes hands.

They feel that their tradition does not make money for anyone, and that the turkey is not injured, and therefore should be allowed to continue.

Spain does not have a good history when it comes to animal welfare. Bullfighting is a classic example of animal cruelty, not only to the bulls themselves, but many injured horses have to be put down after a bullfight.

It was only in the year 2000 that a fiesta tradition in the town of Manganeses de la Polvorosa in Zamora of throwing a live goat off a 25 metre church tower was finally stopped, thanks to animal rights activists, despite being made illegal in 1992.