The Deerhunter: Carlos and the cojones

Spain does have something of an issue when it comes to hunting. Because of a desire to open fire on wildlife and deprive it of life, it succeeds in conveying an impression of being less than animalistically correct. Not so long ago there was the poor old monarch taking a blunderbuss to elephants in Botswana and getting himself stripped of the title of honorary president of the Spanish branch of the World Wildlife Fund as a result. Now we have the Balearics tourism minister. Carlos Delgado went and topped a monarch of the glen and in celebration placed the deer's testicles on top of his head. The King shoots Dumbo and Carlos shoots Bambi.

It really isn't a particularly pleasant picture, the one of Carlos with the cojones: a smiling, nay euphoric Delgado, victory-V signs with both hands, blood trickling down his happy fizzog and the two veg of the stag lying on a garnish of tourism minister hair. There are certain things that I might place on my head, a cap for example, but personally I would draw the line at Bambi's bollocks. Carlos, evidently, is not quite so squeamish. I wonder where the balls are now.

As you can probably imagine, the image of the triumphant tourism minister with his testicular trophies hasn't gone down well with some people: the animal rightists, for instance. This is no image for a tourism minister to be displaying. What will people think of Mallorca if its tourism minister can shoot defenceless creatures, remove their tackle and turn it into headgear? Resign! Resign!

It isn't an especially endearing image it has to be said. But it is an image with a bit of history. It's not as if Carlos went off last week and hunted his prey. He did so when he was still mayor of Calvià, i.e. before he became minister. The photo dates back eighteen months or longer. Which does rather beg the question as to why it has now only surfaced.

In an interview with the IB3 television channel, Delgado has said that the photo (photos in fact) were in an album in his former home. He is of course separated from his wife, a fact that became evident when he appointed his girlfriend to a post in the ministry and then had to remove her because of the outcry. Someone, he said in the interview, had passed the photos to a newspaper. And the newspaper which published the photos is one that has its own issue - one with Delgado.

The opposition parties are, naturally enough, having a field day. It's an example of politicians indulging in pastimes which make them appear to be laughing at the people of the Balearics when they are suffering so badly because of economic crisis. This has echoes of the King's elephantine error in Botswana. A similar thing was said about him swanning off on a hunting trip when the people of Spain were heading towards a state of penury, if they hadn't already arrived at it.

A further criticism that the opposition has levelled is a broader one of the composition of the Balearic Government's cabinet. It is male and male alone and has been since the health minister (the first one, that is) resigned; the second one was male, as is the third. So, Delgado and his hunting trip is indicative of a male-dominated government. Or something like this. I confess that I don't quite follow the logic, but then it is the logic of the female-dominated PSOE. I suppose the logic is that were the cabinet full of women, rather than going on hunting trips, they would all be out on shopping trips buying shoes. Or maybe jackets made with deer hides.

There is of course a serious side to this. The photo doesn't convey a good image, and it is no use Delgado or the government pretending that it does. Moreover, coming on top of various mishaps and personal embarrassments that the government and individual ministers have experienced recently, this latest one simply adds to the embarrassment. One does, however, wonder as to the timing of the photo's emergence into the public domain so soon after ministers Bosch and Company were found to have been off on allegedly private diving trips at public expense.

But then, there is a different serious side to the whole affair. Delgado is minister for sport as well as tourism. Hunting is considered to be a sport, though some might disagree. It may not be huge business, but there is international tourism to be gained from hunting. In the mountains above Alcúdia, the quality of the goats is first-rate, and certification awarded a few years ago says so. This is goat quality for quality huntsmen to take aim at. Perhaps, therefore, Delgado's photo is not all bad news and all bad image. Mind you, I don't know what they do with goats' testicles.

* If you want to see the photo of Delgado, which I'm not reproducing because of copyright as opposed to any sensitivity, then go here for example:http://ultimahora.es/mallorca/noticia/noticias/local/diputado-animalista-avisa-foto-delgado-los-testiculos-del-ciervo-dana-marca-espana.html


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.