Portugal Sets Six Month to Two Year Jail Sentence for Unnecessary Killing of Animals

Animal activists worldwide can rejoice as today has been a small yet significant win in the realm of animal rights. Portugal just adopted a new law which proposes that anyone caught killing an animal unnecessarily could end up in jail for six months to two years. This jail sentence could be even longer if the murder of the animal is done in an extremely “perverse” way.

This is a new and stricter modification to the law that protects pets such as dogs, cats or ferrets against mistreatment. Thanks to these changes, anyone who ends the life of a pet, without a justified or legitimate reason can be penalized with up to two years in prison, although sanctions could also incur.

The element of extreme perversity can also be taken into account and determine an even lengthier sentence. For example, this includes further punishment for those who end the life of the pet by “inflicting pain, suffering, or any psychical abuse”.

From this day, all of the revenue from the sanctions will partially go towards private or public institutions who take in abandoned animals. These changes have come after many of these animal right cases become obsolete because of the many loopholes in the justice system. Furthermore, another set of laws will be drafted soon to include the protection of livestock animals.