Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid and one of the most influential women in national politics, has been in love with the island for years. She has enjoyed a few days’ holiday at a friend’s house and took advantage of an invitation from the mayor of Ibiza, Rafael Triguero, to visit the Animal Protection Centre and see it for herself.
The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has enjoyed a few days’ holiday in Ibiza, as she usually does every summer, and has visited the Sa Coma Animal Protection Centre accompanied by the mayor of the capital, Rafael Triguero, and the councillor for Animal Protection, Manuel Jiménez. Ayuso’s visit was also attended by the president and founder of the Abandoned Dogs Foundation in Ibiza, Belén Herbosch and Alicia de Amador, and the centre’s veterinarian, Miguel Quiñones.
Díaz Ayuso, dressed in white trainers, a navy blue shortsuit and a black bodysuit, over which she wore a jumper, came to Sa Coma at the invitation of Triguero, with whom she chatted animatedly in a relaxed and cordial atmosphere.
The Madrid president was friendly and natural and showed great interest in the running of the facilities for the care of abandoned animals, playing with and petting several puppies waiting to be adopted at the centre.
Díaz Ayuso thanked the mayor for the invitation and showed her commitment to the reality of the island’s society: “Ibizan civil society is very committed to children, teenagers, animals and nature in general. There are exceptional people like Alba Pau, Marisina Marí, Alicia de Amador and Belén Herbosch, who have been working for many years to achieve this. I come to Ibiza often and what I like most is spending time with people who are restless, who want to improve this world and who complicate their lives to improve the lives of others”.
The head of the Madrid regional government is in love with Ibiza and takes every opportunity to enjoy it: “Ibiza is my place in the world. It seems to always be associated with parties and wild behaviour, but the real Ibiza is much more than that. It has beautiful villages, well-kept countryside and small establishments decorated with great taste. I always remember the red countryside, the olive trees and the white country houses. It’s beautiful, and even better in spring and autumn, which for me are the best times of year on the island. It has its markets and rich, healthy, high-quality local products. When I’m on the island, I swim, walk, run, exercise a lot, and if I’m in a house with animals, especially dogs, I’m in paradise,” she explained.
Díaz Ayuso has been committed to animal welfare since she was seven years old, when she adopted a dog. Since then, this commitment has grown: ‘They have been one of my great passions since I was a child. Now I have the opportunity to do a lot for them. Dogs are a gift from heaven, animals designed to be with humans. They are a blessing.’
She boasted about the commitments and activities she carries out in the Community of Madrid in this regard: “In Madrid, we have 91 public and private, regional and municipal shelters. In a region where the Iberian lynx has returned! In addition, abandonment has been decreasing year after year. Our Comprehensive Animal Centre and Wild Animal Rescue Centre stand out, doing powerful work to care for abandoned animals and find them homes. Many of them stay with us as volunteers or go on to work with the local police, forest rangers…,” she explained.
Díaz Ayuso has enjoyed the sea, the countryside and the cuisine during these days, accompanied by her partner and friends at whose house she is staying during her visit to Ibiza.
