Mule

I know that Greece and the Greeks are not perfect, but then again, who is? I can defend many things that are happening in Greece, even though I would like to see improvements. But there is one issue that makes me ashamed for my fellow Greeks - the way animals are treated by many.

In the wake of the backlash created by images of a mule on Hydra carrying a refrigerator, the island's mayor, Giorgos Koukoulakis, has argued that working animals are a necessity, adding that no legislation is being violated.

Speaking to state broadcaster ERT, he stressed that these are not donkeys, but mules that can lift up to 100 kilos. Cars are banned on the island.

Authorities said on Thursday that officers of the financial crimes squad and narcotics unit seized 3.4 kilos of heroin on Tuesday that had been concealed in African folk art paintings which arrived in a package at a courier office in Athens from Mozambique via France.

Animal rights group PETA has accused Greek authorities of covering up what it called the "cruel" treatment of donkeys on the popular island of Santorini and blocking its efforts to highlight their plight.

Animal rights activists announced they will hold a rally outside the Greek embassy in Washington, DC on Thursday at noon (local time)  to call for an end to Santorini's donkey rides.
The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) described the practice as "notoriously inhumane," pointing to a damning eyewitness investigation by the group's German chapter.

Greece's Ministry of Agriculture has introduced new rules to protect the donkeys of Santorini, including a riding ban on tourists who weigh more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds), following a campaign by animal rights groups saying that burdening the donkeys with excessive loads is tantamount to torture.

The governor of ??rnak said a pack of mules allegedly used for smuggling and found dead in the southeastern province were not killed, but rather had jumped off a cliff after being startled by the sound of gunshots, according to a main opposition party deputy who went to the province to investigate the incident.

Mules in villages of the Uludere district of the southern province of ??rnak have allegedly been killed by soldiers upon a court decision after it was alleged the mules were used for smuggling purposes.

A Hakkari court ruled for the euthanization of 97 mules seized during a smuggling operation on the border last November on the grounds that the mules "threatened human and animal health," but were informed that the mules had escaped to Iran on Jan. 7, after heavy snowfall destroyed the tent they were being held in.