The Costa Rica News (TCRN) –Last weekend thousands of animal lovers and their pets marched down the main avenue in San Jose last weekend in order to demand approval of a law being debated in Congress which targets animal abuse.
Dogs, cats, and roosters of all sizes and breeds joined their owners in San Jose’s Plaza de la Democracia at the end of Sunday’s march for a festival to honor animals.
This was the fifth march held in Costa Rica in recent years to call for action on animal abuse, but the two bills aimed at punishing those who hurt animals are waiting for the Congress´ Environment Committee to take them up.
More than 4,000 wild animals have been taken in so far this year by ZooAve, a non-profit shelter that cares for abused animals, the majority of which showed signs of injuries caused by humans.
The situation of domestic animals is even worse, but there are no official figures, said the Animar Rescue Association
The press has reported in recent months dozens of cases involving animals that were attacked with machetes, shot, mutilated and burned with acid, as well as cases of negligence and abandonment.
Since the Costa Rican law does not consider such acts as crimes, animal abusers go unpunished. EFE
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose, Costa Rica
