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Prison Penalty for Animal Abandonment Implemented in Croatia

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Abhijeet

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4 min read

16 Apr, 2024

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On 2nd April 2024, new animal welfare laws went into effect in Croatia, stiffening the penalties for abandoning household pets and abusing them.


If the animal dies as a result of the abandonment, or if many animals are abandoned, sentences of up to two years in prison may be imposed. If the crimes are carried out for financial gain, the sentence for the crime of killing and torturing animals is raised from two years to three years in prison.


It is now possible to impose a one- to five-year ban on the ownership or acquisition of animals for those who commit animal abuse or murder. The criminal code was amended as a result of pressure from Croatian animal welfare activists to the Ministry of Justice.


The proposals listed above were all sent to the Ministry of Justice by the Animal Friends (Prijatelji Zivotinja) association during the Criminal Code's amendment process. “We’re extremely grateful to the Ministry for accepting our proposals and thereby making a historic step forward in the protection of animals across Croatia, which will have a positive impact everywhere in the world. Our goal was to include provisions that will have a preventive effect, and now it’s important that we all act so that they’re implemented in practice,” stated the association.


They clarified that instead of waiting to hear back from the veterinary inspection regarding an animal's abandonment, people can now report any individual who abandons an animal to the police right away: “This will speed up the procedure and make it easier to prove the act of abandonment. At the same time, it will dissuade people from abandoning animals because they know they risk prison time.


We also expect that everyone will think before acquiring an animal, about whether they have enough money, time and knowledge to take care of their pet for many years. They will also be more responsible about breeding control and neutering their animals instead of abandoning puppies and kittens.”


However, Friends of Animals claim that it will motivate municipalities and cities to collaborate in order to stop animal abandonment in Croatia: “LGUs must carry out micro-chipping control of dogs by visiting all households, which has been their legal obligation since 2017, because the microchip contains information about to the guardian of the dog. Those communities that haven’t implemented it yet should be punished for not doing so. They must also educate the public about responsible animal care and finance the castration of dogs and cats. Instead of abandoning animals, guardians can help them by neutering and adopting pets instead of buying them.”

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