An average of two pets a day have been reported as victims of ill-treatment, according to a GNR statement released to coincide with World Animal Day 2016 on October 4th.
In the first eight months of the year, the GNR recorded 494 crimes against animals in Portugal, an average of about 62 per month, reads the statement.
The data show that most of these crimes were for abuse or for abandonment and occurred in one district - Setúbal.
Between January 1st and August 31st, the GNR recorded 2,617 complaints, an average of 327 per month.
The highest number of complaints was in the district of Lisbon (468), followed by the districts of Setúbal (412), Oporto (324) and Aveiro (204).
As for fines issued by GNR officers, an average of 15 tickets have been written per day with most of the 3,690 offences due to the "absence of identification chip, vaccination and/or poor sanitary conditions."
Fines were highest in the Açores (776), followed by Lisbon (377), Setúbal (365) and Faro with (225).
The new law criminalising the mistreatment of 'companion animals' which entered into force on October 1, 2014, covers abuse, the killing of animals and the deliberate starvation of a pet animal.
Readers can draw their own conclusions as to the efficacy of the new law and the ratio of reported abuse to the number of prosecutions. Clearly, the GNR in Setúbal are taking the new law seriously and it is hoped that with the public continuing to report cases of abuse and cruelty, that an increased number of prosecutions can be reported for the same period next year.
See also: 'MP praises the Algarve's many animal welfare groups'
