The Costa Rica News (TCRN) – The amendments to the animal abuse bill that punishes perpetrators with jail time will be ready on Thursday, as outlined by the president of the Environmental Commission of the Legislative Assembly, Edgardo Araya.
According to Araya, members of the committee met with legal representatives and the dean of the Faculty of Law of the UCR, Alfredo Chirino, to make a technical analysis of the legislation.
“We made observations about the legal implications. For example: what constitutes the abuse of an animal? Should we close the street to do forensics?” said the deputy on the meeting with the lawyers.
On Thursday they are sitting down with representatives from the animal welfare sector to study the changes and reach a consensus.
The bill proposes prison sentences from one to three years for those who cause the death of an animal with or without a legitimate cause.
Imprisonment will also be the penalty for poisoning, injuring, torturing and assaulting animals. Jail time also extends to those organizing or running fights between animals of any kind.
During the last two years there have been over 2,000 complaints of animal abuse to the National Secretariat for Animal Health (SENASA), but only one case had legal consequences. (Amelia Rueda)
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose, Costa Rica
