| Screen grab of Help the Santorini Donkey's Facebook |
By Jung Min-ho
Greece has banned overweight tourists from riding donkeys on the island of Santorini after activists complained that the animals suffer spinal injuries.
According to local media Wednesday, the country's Ministry of Rural Development and Food has published a new set of regulations to protect the donkeys.
People who wish to ride the donkeys now have to weigh less than 100 kilograms ― or 20 percent of the donkey's body weight.
The animals "should not be loaded with a weight excessive in size, age or physical condition," the ministry said.
Riding a donkey is a popular way of looking around the tourist island, which has pathways too narrow for cars.
Videos and pictures of obese tourists riding donkeys prompted a backlash on social media in July, and an online petition calling for an end to the "unnecessary animal torture" garnered more than 100,000 signatures.