A 63-year-old woman in Castelo Branco has been identified by police after abandoning a newborn pup in a plastic bag in a rubbish bin.
The practice of disposing of unwanted animals – particularly dogs and cats – in municipal bins is by no means a rarity in Portugal. It was finally outlawed in 2014 (click here), and has become less and less tolerated by everyday citizens.
In this instance, a local discovered the little animal in a plastic bag and quickly contacted authorities.
The pup was assisted by municipal vets and is now recovering and “receiving all necessary veterinary and sanitary attention”, say reports.
The woman meantime will be appearing in court charged with the crime of animal abandonment.
According to the law, she could face up to six months in prison, and/ or a fine.
Back in 2013, PS Socialists were pushing for people found mistreating animals to face jail terms of up to three years (click here).
