Spain's first public pet cemetery offers a final resting place for pets along with psychological support for owners.
ADVERTISEMENTStarting this week, it will be possible to bury beloved pets in a public cemetery just for them.
Located in Málaga's Parque Cementerio, this new facility is more than just a resting place; it includes a memorial park, crematorium, farewell hall, an area for spreading ashes, and a burial zone for up to 500 pets. Only pets under 200 kilograms in weight will be accepted.
There are other pet cemeteries in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Zaragoza, but none of them are publicly owned like the one in Malaga. Burying a pet in Spain can be complicated; doing so illegally can lead to fines from €3,000 up to €60,000.
According to Juan Antonio de Luque, president of Málaga's College of Veterinarians, this launch is significant for the Andalusian province, home to over half a million pets.
"There are over half a million animals, including dogs, cats, ferrets, and other species, with 114,000 in the capital city of Málaga alone. Previously, owners wishing to bury their pets had to resort to private cemeteries," he told Spanish newspaper El País.
Alongside cremation or burial, Malaga's cemetery handles post-death bureaucracy like transporting deceased pets and updating registries. Even more unique is the psychological support offered to owners by psychologists.
"The issue of death is taboo for society in general, but the death of animals is viewed even more critically because people question whether the grief over losing a dog or cat can be equated with that of losing a human," director of the Animals and Society department at Rey Juan Carlos University Nuria Máximo told El País.
"As we understand that family pets are additional members, their caregivers experience part of that process, that transition towards death, and many lack the financial means to bury them as they would another family member. Therefore, it's important to have public cemeteries, as they facilitate the grieving process."
The fees for the pet cemetery range from €40 for a basic collective cremation to €975, depending on the service.
Construction on the public pet cemetery in Málaga started in 2016. It cost €1.1 million to build.
