There are still many, too many, the numbers of cases of abused animals. In a country where, from an early age, civic education should be taught, even as a school subject (and in some cases it is), it is unacceptable to still witness the horror of the numbers of abandonment and mistreatment of dogs, cats and other animals.
Although each of us appeals to our personal conscience, giving care, affection and love to the animals we have adopted, we can and must do much more. Stop closing your eyes, for example, in the face of all those situations of evident mistreatment by bosses and uncivilized and cruel people.
We can take concrete action to save animals and reportall those situations in which these creatures, without any guilt, are left without food and without care, without cleaning and without freedom and, again, they are mistreated and sometimes killed without mercy. Let’s see how to do it. How to recognize animal abuse You have
probably happened to pass a garden and see a malnourished, dirty and abandoned dog or perhaps to witness a scene of abuse firsthand. It is in these cases that it is necessary to intervene promptly , reporting the episode to the authorities so that they can intervene and save the animal.
It is essential, however, to learn to recognize mistreatment before being able to report or report it. In this sense, the Italian law also helps us. From article 544 bis of the criminal code, it is clear that: Anyone who, through cruelty or without necessity, causes an injury to an animal or subjects it to torture or behavior or to fatigue or to work that is unbearable due to its ethological characteristics is punished with imprisonment by three months to a year or with a fine of between 3,000 and 15,000 euros.
The mistreatment of animals is therefore a crime that leads to criminal proceedings against the guilty party. But how to really recognize it
According to the law, any conduct that could cause an injury, an injury or a disease, but also the suffering of the animal in general, is a crime.
Not only physical attacks such as kicks and beatings, but also deprivation of food and care by the owners, or undignified living conditions such as living in dirty and cramped environments. The offense also includes those cases in which drugs are administered to the animal, prohibited or in any case that can cause damage to their health. Let’s see some concrete cases:
- Animal tied to a chain, short and narrow, for a long time without care and cleaning
- Animal forced to live in dirty spaces and among its excrements
- Undernourished animal
- Animal in a state of abandonment
- Physically abused animal
- Animal left in captivity
- Animal used in games, shows or jobs that are unsustainable by their nature
- Abandoned animal
- Animal used for unauthorized fighting or shows
Other cases, which involve the moral and civil obligation on the part of a citizen to report, are listed on the official website of the Zoofile Guards. When to report the mistreatment of animals
If a citizen is a witness to one of the crimes indicated above, he has the moral duty to intervene and report the perpetrator to the police: Commissariati, Carabinieri, Police and Prosecutor’s Office. Even in the absence of clear evidence of the fact, it is necessary to proceed with the report, so even in the presence of only clues, the police can proceed with the necessary investigations .
Reports do not necessarily require a complaint or a lawsuit, however they cannot remain anonymous. The law protects the privacy of those who report and no authority will ever reveal sensitive data, however in the event that you are a direct witness of a crime, you may be called to testify with respect to the assisted person.
In addition to the vision of real mistreatment and torture, a person can also be alarmed by some signals such as the continuous moans of the animal, for example, or any bad smells of the place where the animal lives that is not treated or cleaned. .
Regarding the case in which the animals are made to live in dirty and smelly environments, the accusation against the owner also includes any hygiene problems to the detriment of the neighbors. It is considered a crime, in fact, even when the owner does not provide a daily and adequate cleaning of the place where the animal lives and of its usual excrements. Who to report animal abuse
Now that we know that animal abuse is a real crime , let’s see who to report it to. You can file a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office or make a report to the Carabinieri and the Police. In the event that there are animals left to themselves in dirty places and in undignified conditions, it is possible to call the local health authority. She will be the one to intervene, as a public official, and possibly report the crime to the competent authorities.
On the official website of the Zoophile Guards it is possiblereport the mistreatment of animals , by region, using a reporting form. The alternative is to call the competent authorities at the national and local emergency numbers.
In the event that an animal is being mistreated, through videos and photos circulated online , it is essential not to share, but to promptly report to the Postal Police . The authority, which deals with crimes on the web, will be able to trace who published the material and intervene. What happens to those who mistreat animals
In the event that the owner of the animal is denounced by the neighbors, for annoyance or for unfavorable hygienic conditions, he will be sentenced to compensation for civil damage. If there are also other elements that determine a crime, the penal sanction envisaged by Italian law will be inflicted on him.
In the event of a conviction or a plea bargain, the confiscation of the animal in question is always envisaged unless it belongs to a person unrelated to the crime. According to the law, anyone who commits acts of maltreatment of animals is punished with imprisonment from 3 to 18 months or with a fine ranging from 5,000 euros to 30,000 euros.
The penalty applies to anyone who subjects animals to treatments that can cause damage to their health and is increased if, by those actions, the consequent death is caused.
