DOGS, horses, donkeys, sea-lions and dolphins can all help people with physical or mental illnesses, announces Jesús López from the animal therapy society Lealcan.

He says they recently managed to grant a terminal cancer patient’s wish, to have a dog by the bedside to stroke during the final few hours.

López says the initiative has spread to hospitals in Canada and the USA, where dogs belonging to the oncology wards are used for the same purpose.

Additionally, Elche’s Río Safari has put an animal therapy scheme in practice, involving swimming with sea-lions and dolphins.

This therapy has helped people with serious mental illnesses and physical conditions, including Down’s Syndrom, autism, cerebral paralysis, psycho-motor deficiency, spina bifida, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.

The foundation Aqualand Mundomar has also helped more than two million children – some sick, some with behavioural problems – since 2001 and has received letters of thanks from numerous parents.

‘Donkey therapy’ is becoming more popular in Spain, reveals López of Lealcan, since the animals’ affectionate nature and enjoyment of human contact can help with both mental and physical illnesses.

Riding for the disabled has long been a popular concept in the USA and the UK, although lately it has spread to Spain.

Also, people with injuries who carry out their physiotherapy exercises on horseback are said to make a quicker recovery.

But López stresses the importance of specialists such as doctors, psychologists and physiotherapists being present during the animal therapy sessions.

He also complains that such therapy remains largely unrecognised in Spain, with only three postgraduate courses available to those with an interest in the field – two in Catalunya and one in Madrid – aimed at graduates in education or physiotherapy.