'Ducking' the issue
2005-08-16 15:49
Palma de Majorca, Spain - Residents on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca have thrown live ducks into the sea during a traditional festival, the daily Diario de Mallorca reported on Tuesday.
The birds were hurled one by one to youngsters waiting to catch them during Monday's festival in Can Picafort in the northeast of the island.
Officials said residents spontaneously staged the event despite a recent legal ban against it.
Animal rights campaigners have long criticised the tradition. Mayor Antoni del Olmo defended it, saying it was more than 100 years old. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA