ARCHIVED - New animal protection law set to stiffen penalties for maltreatment in Murcia

Town Halls in the Region of Murcia would be responsible for strays under the new law

A proposed new animal protection law in the Region of Murcia could introduce important modifications in the law regarding maltreatment of pets and the fines which can be imposed on those found guilty of such offences.

If the law is passed the maximum fine will be raised to 100,000 euros, a thirty-fold increase on the previous figure, while the minimum punishment increases from 30 euros to 250 euros. This decision follows a complex process which has lasted over a year in designing a new law to replace the previous one, which dated from 1990, and during that time the opinions of vets, animal rights organizations and various other charities have been taken into account, as have the most recent developments in EU legislation.

As well as fines being made stiffer, another possible punishment included in the new law is the forced closure of veterinary clinics and other establishments for up to four years if they are found guilty of malpractice.

At the same time, the list of animals classified as pets has been lengthened to include not only cats, dogs and other traditional favourites, but also ferrets, parrots and other birds (except poultry), rodents, invertebrates except bees, molluscs and crustaceans, aquatic animals, amphibians, and reptiles such as tortoises. Bizarre though it may seem, the octopus is specifically excluded from the list.

While overhauling the law, those responsible for the new regulations have also defined what constitutes maltreatment in a number of interesting new ways. For example, dogs kept on a chain or lead during the day must be supplied with a feeder and drinking water, the lead must be at least three metres long, and the animal must be restrained in this way for no more than ten hours.

Similarly, it is now illegal to give animals as a gift to people aged under 16 without the prior consent of their parents or guardians.

A further key element of the proposed law is that Town Halls would be made responsible for the welfare of stray cats and dogs until the animals are either re-homed or put down. Unidentified animals would have to be held in acceptable conditions for at least ten days, rather than the previous 48 hours. However, many stray animals centres advocate castration as the solution, and this particular debate is likely to be a heated one over the coming months.

On the administrative side, a new regional register of pets is proposed, adding to the municipal registers which are already managed by the 45 Town Halls of the Region of Murcia. Until now the best system in Murcia has been run by the Region’s vets, and includes 130,000 dogs and 1,500 cats, all of whom have been implanted with microchips, but it is estimated that at least another 160,000 dogs and 20,000 cats ought to be added. The law specifies a proposed deadline of just one year for owners to ensure that their pets are adequately inscribed on the new register, which, once it is operational, will be used to monitor and control the spread of contagious diseases such as leishmaniasis and rabies.

At the moment it must be stressed that the law is still in an anteproyecto stage, which mean that amendments are still being made to the proposed legislation before it passes through the legislatory processes to become law.