Nine donkeys were rescued from the farm in June 2013.

Farm in Alicante closed and 21 animals rescued

The Donkey Sanctuary has rescued a number of equines from "horrific conditions" on a farm in Callosa de Segura, Alicante, after a Spanish court overturned its previous rulings.

According to the sanctuary, an order was given on March 6 for the farm to be closed and the animals seized.

A total of seven donkeys and mules and 14 horses were rescued by the sanctuary's Spanish counterpart.

The animals were first discovered in June 2013. Rescue teams immediately removed nine donkeys and launched a petition and legal appeal to seize the rest of the animals and shut down the farm.

Veronica Sanchez, manager of the Donkey Sanctuary's operations in Spain, said: "“It is great news that we have been able to rescue these animals, and we will now start the process of nursing them back to health.

"It is unacceptable that it took seven months for the courts to allow us to seize the animals but we will continue to work in Spain to raise awareness of animal welfare and to prevent cases like this happening in the future."

Of the nine donkeys originally rescued in June, two were euthanised and one died immediately, the sanctuary says.

Veronica added: "We are extremely grateful to all those who signed our petition and helped put pressure on the authorities to close this farm down."

Image courtesy of the Donkey Sanctuary