27 Dead Dogs Found on Ferry in Palma — Investigation Underway

Upon the arrival of a ferry from Barcelona, hunters discovered 27 dead hunting dogs in a transporter. The Guardia Civil is investigating — relatives and neighbors are stunned.

Tragic discovery at the port: Dogs apparently died during the crossing

Early on Saturday morning, while the fog still hung over Palma's harbor and the first commuters were visiting cafés, travelers made a grisly discovery. In a transporter that drove off a ferry from Barcelona, numerous dogs lay motionless side by side. Authorities later confirmed: 27 of the 36 dogs on board were dead. Only nine animals survived the journey.

Exactly what happened is still unclear

The dogs' owners — according to witnesses on site a group of hunters who are said to have been in Eastern Europe days earlier to train the animals — arrived at the quay completely distraught. Some still had wet jackets from the rain, others nervously smoked cigarettes. “This is terrible, my female dog was like a family member,” said a man, holding his jacket with a trembling voice.

The Guardia Civil's nature protection service (Seprona) immediately took over the investigation. Autopsies are to be carried out to rule out causes of death such as heatstroke, lack of oxygen or other medical reasons. Investigators are also checking the transporter's ventilation, the placement of the animals during the crossing and possible loading errors onto the vessel.

Questions for the shipping company and the owners

The shipping company was informed and, according to witnesses, is cooperating with officers. It remains unclear how long the animals were in the vehicle, whether water was available, or whether the ferry's heating/ventilation worked correctly. The responsibility of the animal owners is also being examined — for example, whether the vehicle was properly equipped or whether additional transport arrangements should have been made.

In the harbor neighborhood people were still talking about the incident hours later. A café owner on Moll de la Riba watched the scene from behind the counter: “I've never seen anything like this here. It just moves you.”

For the affected families and hunters the loss is great — not only emotionally. Authorities are asking witnesses who noticed anything unusual during the crossing to come forward. The results of the autopsies should provide clarity in the coming days.

We will keep you updated as soon as investigators release new details.