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Costa Rica lawmakers present animal abuse law

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November 1st, 2013 (InsideCostaRica.com) Members of the Committee on Environment of the Legislative Assembly presented the Animal Abuse Law yesterday afternoon, which provides jail sentences for the mistreatment of both wild and domestic animals.

 

Among the bill’s provisions are prison sentences of one to six years for any person who intentionally inflicts pain or suffering to an animal resulting in its death, or those who intentionally injure, torture or assault animals.

 

The same sentences would apply to anyone who organizes or participates in public performances or competitions in which animals are killed, hurt, or tortured.

 

Acts of bestiality also carry prison sentences, and those sentences increase by a third when the conduct is committed with the participation of two or more people.

 

Those who abandon an animal without proper care, for instance dumping a dog on the roadside, face between 50 and 200 days in jail.

 

The bill has strong support from all lawmakers and will now pass to plenary for approval.

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  • Lynne

    I hope and pray they pass this law.Anyone that hurts an animal needs to pay with jail time.But knowing Costa Rica,it probably wont pass.Way too many street dogs in Costa Rica,and dogs are so sweet.They just need someone to care for them.They dont ask for much

    • Ken Morris

      The flip side, Lynne, is when a neighbor keeps vicious and neglected dogs that annoy and threaten others. Enforcement against these irresponsible pet owners is next to impossible–it took one family 7 years in court against a neighbor like this–so the wisest as well as most humane action is simply to kill the dogs.

      The problem with laws like this is that those who advocate for them always have the “sweet” dogs in mind, never the miserable, vicious ones. The challenge is to write and enforce the law in a way that protects both the animals AND the people. Vicious dogs do bite and even kill, and I’ve yet to see a law like this that adequately protects the human victims, only the animals and their irresponsible owners.

      Another thing to watch may be the application of the law to the bulls. It’s obvious that they are mistreated during the various festivals, yet I doubt the law will be written in a way that protects them.

      Something else that may be interesting to watch is pet euthanasia. Evidently the law proposes a prison sentence for anyone who kills OR abandons a dog. Well, how are dog owners supposed to get rid of dogs they can no longer care for? I’m betting that a medicalized death via a vet will be allowed, although this raises the question of why the law should specify the means rather than the end. And if euthanasia isn’t permitted, something tells me that the law will be violated. Say a dog-owner dies and the kids live in an apartment that prohibits dogs. Unless there’s also a network of animal shelters adequate for the number of unwanted pets, I don’t see a solution.

      My point here is that laws like these are very difficult to write wisely, so you have to be careful about supporting them simply because you feel sorry for the sweet abandoned dogs. The goal is worthy, but the law may not be.

      • http://insidecostarica.com/ Timothy Williams

        Just one point, Ken. The way the draft is written, it would not apply to euthanasia, if done in a humane matter (nor, of course would it apply to the slaughter of livestock) unless the method used in killing causes undue pain or suffering to the animal.

      • Jim Freeman

        You can wright it any way you want, however I doubt any one will actually do jail time!

  • NorthendFool

    This is a joke. Many of the animals on our road have never been cared for ever ever.

  • Aitor Xaranga

    I hope this includes sharks, turtles, dolphins and other animals listed in Paul Watson’s list, but, NOTHING will happen. As usual, this is just another “let’s salute the flag” piece of unenforceable nonsense.

  • Blamminski

    These asczholes just released 240 plus convicts who were serving for “aggravated robbery”. This is just another in the list of Costa Ricas perpetual lie syndrome.A nation of pathological BS’ers. If you can say Pura Vida mae ! three times without stepping in front of a moving vehicle you’re declared a genius.

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