Shock in Styria: 15 dogs from catastrophic attitude freed!

Shock in Styria: 15 dogs from catastrophic attitude freed!

Murtal, Österreich - In Styria, a 46-year-old dog owner was disregarded animal welfare to worrying extent. After an inspection that took place on Sunday morning, catastrophic conditions were found on the man's property. Several run -down dogs lived on the area, including a seriously injured husky puppet, which was found in a dog house. An official veterinarian of the BH Murtal was consulted to evaluate the situation. The find also caused the find of a decayed carcass of a young husky in a defective freezer. These conditions meant that some of the dogs were captured and taken to a nearby shelter. The dog owner, under whose responsibility around 20 animals were held in agonizing conditions, faces criminal and administrative criminal investigations into cruelty to animals. He was already reported to the Leoben public prosecutor after the municipality informed the population about the circumstances. So far, three dogs have not been captured and are probably still on the road and endangered.

The Animal Welfare Act, as is formulated in most countries, including Austria, should protect the life and well -being of animals. According to §1 of the Animal Welfare Act, it is forbidden to add pain, suffering or damage for no reasonable reason. In the event of violations of this law, money and prison terms can be imposed. Depending on the severity of the offense, the people who are convicted of cruelty to animals threaten up to three years, both for abuse and killing an animal. Frequent punishments also include fines for administrative offenses such as the non-removal from dog droppings or disregard for leash obligation.

Legal consequences of the cruelty to animals

According to reports, however, the likelihood that such animal protection offenses will be adequately punished. In 2020, only 1,027 people in Germany were convicted of animal welfare offenses, with 95 percent of them received fines. The statutory handling of cruelty to animals reveals that in many cases the requirements for proof of pain or suffering are very high, which makes criminal persecution more difficult. This is particularly questionable when you consider that most actions against §17 of the Animal Welfare Act, which prohibits killing an animal for no reasonable reason, are not adequately pursued.

In addition to the incidents mentioned, there is difficult that different standards are often created for animal welfare violations in agriculture than in pets. It is often reported that many animal welfare offenses are not reported in agriculture and that many procedures are hired by public prosecutors. Political influence and structural interdependencies hinder the effective application of animal protection law. Regardless of this, the demand for fundamental reforms in order to effectively sanction animal welfare is, according to experts.

The case in Styria is an alarming example of the challenges in the field of animal protection and the serious consequences of abuse. It remains to be seen how the responsible authorities will react to the available violations and whether the legal consequences will be appropriate in such a serious case of cruelty to animals. The dog owner and the circumstances of his animal husbandry are now in the foreground of judicial and official disputes.