A new email address (defesanimal@psp.pt) has been launched by Lisbon PSP police offering citizens an easy way to report cases of animal abuse and abandonment. The 21POLICIA telephone line (217 654 242) is already available for this purpose.
The moves are all part of a new campaign entitled ‘Maus tratos a animais são crime’ (Mistreating animals is a crime).
The email and phone number are to be used mostly by Lisbon locals – although citizens from other parts of the country can use them to find out who to call in their area or to request general information on the country’s animal laws.
Lisbon’s animal ombudsman Inês Real told reporters at the presentation of the campaign this week that “around 100,000 animals are abandoned in Portugal every year, 3,000 of which in Lisbon”.
“The number of animals abandoned is even greater in the summer,” explained PSP spokesman Hugo Abreu, who expects animal abuse and abandonment reports to increase significantly with this new campaign.
GNR police also have a phone number (808 200 520) which people can use to report “environmental and animal-related crimes”, as well as a webpage (click here to see webpage).
Portugal’s new animal protection law came into effect on October 1 last year, criminalising animal abuse and abandonment.
Since then, GNR’s SEPNA environmental division has received 2,239 reports – 50 of which have led to criminal proceedings.
Article courtesy of the Portugal Resident http://portugalresident.com/
Comments
with 100,000 abandonments. Not impressive.
But then as we all now know this law left northern Europe as an animal welfare law. Once its crossed the Pyrenees - like all such laws - it morphs into a protection of the owners honour. The welfare of the animal cannot be allowed to supercede the owners honour.
So there is hours or days wasted identifying the 'owner' of the animal. Whilst it dehydrates or starves. Or suffers from wounds or a bad pregnancy. With now the possibility of fines so the actual owner becomes more difficult to track.
Contrary to northern EU animal welfare law - there is no automatic right to enter property to rescue a suffering animal without a court order. Which will again take unnecessary time as the judge needs details. And being Portuguese, and knowing that this is most certainly not a law that originated in Portugal - is unlikely to be bothered to speed up.