THOUSANDS of greyhounds face being left to die agonising deaths abandoned down wells or tied to railway tracks as Spain's hunting season ends.

Cruel hunters discard the working dogs - known as galgos - to avoid paying for their upkeep in the off-season.

5 A terrified greyhound is winching up from a well after being abandoned by a cruel hunter Credit: Guardia Civil

5 Many of the discarded animals are left severely malnourished Credit: SOS Galgos

Charities warn that up to 50,000 animals are abandoned or killed each year - with some being brutally hanged, burned alive or having their throats cut.

Many are thrown down wells - with the entrance then boarded up to give them no hope of escape.

British charity worker Anna Clements has been campaigning to save the greyhounds.

The ex-pat, originally from Manchester, saves 350 dogs a year with Barcelona-based charity SOS Galgos.

This is Spain's dirty secret and something tourists rarely see Anna Clements

She told MailOnline: "This is Spain's dirty secret and something tourists rarely see.

"We are expecting an influx of thousands of abandoned dogs but we, and other charities, cannot cope. We cannot save them all.

"They are brutally treated when the hunters have finished with them - some are thrown down wells and the well opening is blocked off with wood.

"But some survive and we had one recently who was saved when a passerby heard her cries."

Game-chaser: What is the Spanish hunting season? SPAIN'S hunting season for small game runs from mid-October to early February. Hunters trying to catch animals outside of the season face prosecution. They go after birds and small mammals including grouse, pheasants, geese and rabbits. The hunters, known as galgueros, use greyhounds for hare and lure coursing. This involves galgos running across an enclosed track or around the countryside to catch animals - relying on their powerful sense of sight rather than scent. Competitions take place across Spain - with dogs judged on their ability to overtake the hare and stop it in its tracks. The sport is illegal in the UK.

Caring Anna, who runs SOS Galgos with her vet husband Albert, told how an abandoned dog was discovered down a well near Toledo, 60 miles south of Madrid.

Anna said: "She was lying in water at the bottom of the well, was badly malnourished and had deep gashes on her neck.

"The fire brigade was able to winch her to safety and she is now recovering with a family where she is a loved pet."

Galgos are members of the sighthound family and are distantly related to British greyhounds.

They are used for hunting and hare coursing - where two dogs compete to chase down a hare over open ground.

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And because they are working animals they are exempt from Spanish animal welfare laws.

It means cruel hunters - known as galgueros - feel able to savagely beat or discard the animals when they don't adhere to strict hunting code.

Spain's hunting season for small game runs from mid-October to early February.

5 Hunters often beat the dogs if they misbehave and as many as 50,000 are abandoned every year Credit: SOS Galgos

5 The dogs are often traumatised after being beaten by their owners and discarded Credit: SOS Galgos

5 Rescued dogs are often found with harrowing injuries Credit: SOS Galgos