Mercy vet threatened with prison

A MERCIFUL vet who put a dying goat out of its misery was then told: “You could go to prison.”

Heroine Natalia Ildefonso had rushed to the aid of a distressed mother who had been shocked by the sight of a goat dying by the side of the road in Mijas. The sick animal had been savaged by stray dogs and was dying in its own pool of blood.

With no response from the Forest Agency – which normally deals with animal emergencies – Ildefonso arrived within 30 minutes to put the animal to sleep.

When a forest agent finally arrived four hours late he sensationally threatened Ildefonso with arrest for meddling with a wild animal.

“He threatened to caution me as, by law, a domestic vet has no authority to deal with a wild animal,” she explained.

“I couldn’t believe it so I said: ‘if you want to arrest me for what I have just done, go ahead and do it’.

An attendant at the BP petrol station had originally called the Forest Agency at 5:30am but there had been no response.

Despite further frantic calls from both the petrol station and local mum Naia Reid, who was taking her 13-year-old son to school, there was no response.

Shrugged

It was only after Ildefonso’s intervention that the Forest Agency representative finally arrived.

“When asked why it took so long to respond, he simply shrugged his shoulders,” explained Reid.

“I was absolutely shocked when he proceeded to warn her for having interfered with a wild animal.

“He was seemingly unable to fathom that it was inhumane to allow the animal to suffer while the numerous bureaucratic calls were passed from department to department.

“Or more likely, those who should have been responding were having their leisurely breakfast before their official clock- on time.

It is the second time a sick goat inadvertently stumbled into Mijas. They, it emerges, both were suffering from the highly-contagious skin disease called Sarna that renders them unable to feed or drink.

When asked about her rapid response Ildefonso said: “It was something normal that I had to do. My surgery is in Mijas and that opens at 10am, so I just made the effort to get there an hour earlier.

It is a crazy system though that needs changing. It is so slow and consequently animals can suffer horrible deaths. ”

Reid was quick to praise the dedication and help of the vet.

“There are not many vets out there who would take the time to attend a dying animal and pay the cost out of their own pockets, but our wonderful young veterinarian is extremely dedicated to her work.”