People Are Walking Hens, Fish Bowls To Bypass Spain's Stay-At-Home Orders

People in Spain have found a way to bypass their government's stay-at-home orders - walking some rather unusual pets. Spain, which is one of the countries worst hit in the coronavirus pandemic, has imposed a strict lockdown to contain the spread of the disease. However, people are allowed to leave their homes to walk pets - a rule that has been misused by many. 

Pet owners in Spain have been getting creative with their definitions of a "pet" in order to get around stay-at-home orders. People have been spotted walking hens, fish bowls and other unusual pets - apparently in a bid to get some exercise and fresh air amid the lockdown.

The Spanish National Police on Friday tweeted an image of a man getting fined for 'walking' a fish in a bowl in the town of Logrono to warn others against pulling similar stunts. A picture they shared shows cops fining the man for violating government orders, while his fish bowl rests on a bench besides them.

Agentes de la @policia han sancionado a una persona por salir a "pasear" a sus peces por la calle. Los agentes le avistaron en #Logroño portando una pecera en contra de lo estipulado en el RD del Estado de Alarma.
#EsteVirusLoParamosUnidos pic.twitter.com/lOFVnDX6Fi

— Policía Nacional (@policia) April 24, 2020

While the image has gone viral with over 7,500 'likes' on the microblogging platform, it is not the only instance of a person walking a 'pet' that does not typically need exercise. In March, the Spanish Civil Guard had also shared a video of a man walking a hen on a leash in the city of Lanzarote.

#NoTieneGracia

Guardias civiles de #Lanzarote denuncian a una persona por incumplir las medidas de limitación de circulación impuestas en por el estado de alarma paseando una gallina#EsteVirusLoParamosUnidos pic.twitter.com/kZ7vGuTKE5

— Guardia Civil ???????? (@guardiacivil) March 25, 2020

The video has collected over 78,000 views on Twitter, along with a ton of amused comments.

Earlier in March, a man was also filmed trying to deceive police by walking a toy dog. A video posted by Spain's national police union shows the man picking up his toy dog while being questioned by the police. 

Pedimos SENSATEZ durante el #EstadoDeEmergencia por culpa del #COVID19.

Estamos ante una situación MUY GRAVE como para andar por la calle intentando engañar a la @policia... NO nos engañas y además serás sancionado.

Es una cuestión de salud pública.#EsteVirusLoParamosUnidos pic.twitter.com/67cjOMNdC3

— JUPOL (@JupolNacional) March 16, 2020

According to BBC, Spain eased some restrictions on Sunday when children under the age of 14 were allowed outside for the first time in six weeks. Other lockdown restrictions remain in place and schools are still shut in the country.