The Public Security Police (PSP) has already received more than 100 complaints for the crime of abandoning companion animals and identified 61 suspects in 2024, according to provisional data from the security force.
The data released on the International Day of the Abandoned Animal, which is observed today, reveals that as of August 13, the PSP had already received 125 complaints and identified 61 suspects for the crime of abandoning companion animals.
Throughout 2023, the PSP received 249 complaints for the same crime and identified 133 suspects.
As part of the Animal Defense Program, created in 2015, the PSP has received more than 2,900 complaints for the crime of abandoning companion animals and identified more than 1,200 suspects for practicing the same crime, and has also made 20 arrests.
It should be noted that the reporting of abandonment cases, like situations of mistreatment, is carried out not only by the various Environmental Protection Brigades (BriPA) assigned to the various Metropolitan, District, and Regional Commands – which carry out inspection work and respond to this type of complaint – but also through police officers who daily ensure normal operational activity.
There are also several complaints from concerned citizens through the ‘Animal Defense Line’. The most common complaints received through this support line are: dogs barking on balconies; dirty yards/courtyards with unpleasant odors; animals tied up without water and/or food; walking dogs without a leash; animal aggressiveness; and animals being violently assaulted as a method of training.
Regarding the work carried out by BriPA in inspecting companion animal owners, in the last four years, more than 10,222 actions have been carried out, resulting in the verification of 5,266 infractions, the PSP further reveals.
This year alone, up to July 31, 1,368 companion animal owners had already been inspected, resulting in 445 administrative offense reports.
