The first jail term for animal abuse has at last been handed out in Portugal – four years since groundbreaking animal-protection legislation came into force (click here).
And the good news perhaps is that while the owner of a cat will be going to jail for two years for ‘stoning it, the cat itself has completely recovered.
To be fair, this story is not just about animal abuse.
After being caught by locals throwing stones at his cat, the man turned on the animal’s rescuers with a katana (Samuri sword).
He also threatened police with the sword when they responded to emergency calls.
It was at this point that the 25-year-old – with a criminal record for robberies and thefts – was arrested and given ‘arguido’ (official suspect) status.
He went on to be accused of various crimes – animal abuse being only one of them.
When the case came to court in Lisbon this week, the young man did not show up. Thus it could be more about the way he approached the situation that landed him in jail than the actual abuse of his cat – now rehomed through an animal protection association.
Tabloid Correio da Manhã recalls that all other cases of animal abuse up till now have received suspended sentences: even the horrific story of a man in Setúbal found guilty of torturing 24 dogs (four-and-a-half years ‘suspended’), and the bizarre incident of a woman in Mourão who repeatedly allowed her cat to be stuffed into a clay pot at the end of a pole that was then set light to for ‘traditional festas’ (click here).
Whether this week’s sentence marks a turning point has yet to be seen.
CM says the week has also brought a new case for judicial consideration – that of a woman accused of torturing 30 dogs in her care – while the president of the Veterinarian’s association Jorge Cid says the two year term should stand as “an alert to people to respect the law that criminalises the abuse of animals”.
