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Barcelona to be first city in Spain to create a public pet cemetery

The Local Spain
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Barcelona to be first city in Spain to create a public pet cemetery
Barcelona to be first city in Spain to create public pet cemetery. Photo: Couleur / Pixabay

Barcelona City Council wants to offer public cremation and burial services for pet ashes by the end of 2024.

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This would be the first of its kind in Spain, a country which, according to the latest count from the National Association of Food Manufacturers for Companion Animals (ANFAAC), is home to 29 million pets.

Councilor for Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition, Eloi Badia, estimates that around 7,000 services will be provided annually in the first few years of operation.

READ ALSO: What are the rules on taking your pets on holiday in Spain?

The city council will invest €1.1 million in the project and will allow the owners a full burial service for their pets at a cost of around €200, according to the president of Barcelona Cemeteries.

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Badia explained that the initiative responds to constant public demand, given the large number of pets in the city, and the fact that until now the service was only provided by the private sector. 

The Catalan capital is home to around 180,000 dogs and almost 50 percent of families in the city have a pet.

READ ALSO: Seven key points from Spain’s new animal welfare law

Cremation services for animals are currently only carried out privately, but according to Badia, between 20 and 30 percent of owners would be interested in a "greater connection" with a more personalised service.

The plans for the new cemetery, which will be located in the Collserola Natural Park (in the hills above the city), are now taking shape.

The council ensures that people will be accompanied throughout the process, from the time the animal dies until the cremation and, if requested, the ashes will be delivered to the owners or they can be buried on site.

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