Salobreña has five, stray-cat colonies, each one with between ten to twelve members. Like gangsters, they each have their turf.

A volunteer group has them all catalogued and eventually each one is caught, sterilised and set free again.

However, thanks to the Lock Down, it looked like their activity would ground to a halt.

Fortunately, thanks to the Head of the Environmental Department at the Town Hall, Daniel Chaves, the volunteers have been given special passes which allow them to be out and about, controlling the wayward cat population.

Suitably dressed in PPE suits and masks they are keeping track of the cats – if this were not done, the stray cats would disperse and be a lot harder to track down, as well as… multiply.

As for dogs, during the first week or so of the lock down there were more being abandoned; a 10% increase.

This is interesting because in the rest of Spain there are even cases of dogs being rented out so that people have an excuse to walk them. Trouble is, they’re being worn out by repetitive route marches.

Furthermore, in other towns there has been a noticeable increase in dog adoptions, which is worrying because animal associations fear that once the Lock Down is over, they will be abandoned as superfluos to requirements.

Back in Salobreña, and like in many towns, the lack of human activity and presence out on the streets seems to be attracting wild animals, wondering what the hell has happened to all those pesky humans.

So, next time you are out dragging your reluctant rent-a-dog around, be prepared to bump into wild goats, boars, triffids and yetis, doing a spot of tourism.

(News: Salobrena, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)