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 Ramírez 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.
Following Kivú's death, many people turned to FUNDAZOO’s facebook profile blaming the organization for keeping the lion in his metal cage during most of his life.
Kivú, the beloved lion whose living conditions at the Simón Bolívar Zoo in San José were the subject of fierce debate, died from complications related to chronic kidney disease.
A final recommendation on the lion’s fate will be announced Thursday to the Ministers of Environment, and Agriculture and Livestock, followed by a public announcement.
Supreme Court Justicies opined that the broad definition of animals in the Animal Welfare bill represents a violation of the principles of reason and proportionality.
Laboratory tests conducted on the lion last month showed symptoms of chronic kidney disease. Results are now under evaluation in a laboratory in the United States.
