Brazil Considers Open Season on Domestic Animals

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2010-03-10 19:53:00 UTC
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Less than a year ago, the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment embraced the development of a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare, a campaign dedicated to ending animal cruelty. Now, Brazil's only animal cruelty law is under attack.

The people of Brazil spoke up in favor of the Declaration. But soon, they may not even be able to speak up for animals being abused. If the National Congress passes a proposed bill, it would be useless to report a cat being tortured or a dog being starved.

Under the new proposal, there would be no consequences for cruelty to dogs, cats, horses, and other domestic animals.

The proposal before Brazil's National Congress is to remove the phrase "domestic and domesticated" from the current law. Without those key words, the law would lay out punishment only for those who "abuse, mistreat, hurt or mutilate wild, native or exotic" animals.

Brazil's Federal Constitution has an article that forbids cruelty to any species, but this bill is a serious threat to the country's domestic animals. The World Society for the Protection of Animals is calling on the international community to join over 65,000 Brazilians in signing on to a letter to the President of the House of Representatives and all thirteen party leaders in the National Congress in protest of the bill.

According to WSPA, some politicians see protecting animal welfare as an inconvenience. Apparently those politicians aren't familiar with Gandhi's famous quote about the greatness of a nation being judged by the way it treats its animals.

Photo credit: JAIRO BD

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.
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