Report: 'Overweight' tourists banned from riding donkeys in Greek island

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 15): If you are “overweight”, forget about getting a donkey ride in Greece, or you could go on a diet.

CNN Travel has reported that Greece has banned “overweight” tourists from riding on the donkeys of the island of Santorini.

The report said that this came about after activists for animal rights found that the animals were suffering from “spinal injuries”.

According to new guidelines issued by the Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food, donkey jockey hopefuls “will now have to weigh less than 100kg (220 pounds) -- or one-fifth of the donkey's body weight”.

A donkey "should not be loaded with a weight excessive in size, age or physical condition", CNN Travel reported.

Meanwhile, animal rights group PETA told the broadcaster that the Greek ruling was "throwaway gesture which won't prevent the daily suffering that these donkeys endure".

"Donkeys can still be forced to carry a person weighing 15 stone 10 pounds (100 kilograms) up more than 500 steep steps four to five times a day," said Mimi Bekhechi, PETA UK's director of international programmes.

Santorini, perched hundreds of metres above a bay in a volcanic crater, is a popular tourist destination and has struggled to cope with the huge numbers visitors.

An AFP report in July said that island authorities will ban owners of donkeys from carrying visitors if they mistreat the animals.

This came about after a video of an owner beating a donkey aired on social networks.