The town hall in Almoradí has banned an event due to take place this weekend on account of it being cruel to the animals involved.
The traditional donkey race sees riders take to the backs of the animals which are then raced as a sport, with the animals suffering physical abuse in the process.
The town hall therefore withdrew subsidy for the event and have removed the licenses thus prohibiting it from taking part on public land.
However, the event organizers have now moved to a private area and so the race is currently scheduled to take place on Saturday, although the town hall are seeking an injunction to also prevent this. The animal protection group, PACMA, also plan to attend the event to prevent the donkeys from being mistreated.