The new law introduces prison sentences ranging from three months to one year for those found guilty of killing a domestic or a domesticated animal, and a series of monetary fines for animal cruelty.
Legislative President Gonzalo RamÃrez said lawmakers hope to hold the second and definitive vote 10 days after the bill’s publication in La Gaceta, in order to allow consultations from animal rights groups.
A new Discovery Networks documentary tells the story of the Costa Rican toucan whose savagely mutilated beak was replaced with a prosthetic one, and how it inspired a nation to push for better treatment of animals.
Several recent cases of dog abuse, including that of Duke, who suffered major damage to his muzzle in an apparent machete attack, have renewed calls for harsher punishment for those who maim or kill animals.
Animal rights groups in July will begin collecting signatures across the country to approve a referendum in which citizens would vote on an animal welfare bill imposing stricter sanctions for animal cruelty.
A bill that seeks to establish prison time for animal abuse faces an uncertain future after several lawmakers filibustered voting on the law last week by filing over 70 motions against it.
With just over two weeks left of the year, reports of animal abuse have already surpassed by 15 percent those recorded last year, the National Animal Health Service (SENASA) reported Friday.
A Cartago court sentenced a man for illegally breeding dogs in a puppy mill. Most of the dogs were kept inside stacked cages or hanging crates for years.
Costa Rica has raised the alert level for communities around Rincón de la Vieja Volcano after scientists detected increased volcanic activity, marking a further...
