Animal Abuse: What Is It and How to Report It?

Around the world, thousands of animals, especially pets, fall victim to abandonment and animal abuse every day. While commitment from the relevant authorities is essential, it's also key for the public to get involved to help eradicate this cruel reality.

To do our part, at Soyunperro we cover the main types of animal abuse, how to recognize them, and what to do to report it. Keep reading and help us help!

You might also like: How to Identify an Animal Abuser

What Is Animal Abuse?

The concept of animal abuse is fairly broad, and we need to distinguish between what common sense tells us and what legal instruments on this matter state. What do we mean by this?

Well, common sense tends to understand abuse as any action or practice exposing an animal to unsanitary, painful, or degrading conditions. In other words, any context causing an animal suffering, whether through humiliation or physical or psychological violence, could be considered animal abuse.

But if we focus on the text of current laws and regulations, we see the concept and applicable penalties for animal abuse vary significantly by country, region, or autonomous community.

To still give you a definition beyond common sense, but without going into too much detail, below we'll look at what's legally understood as animal abuse in Spain.

Animal Abuse in Spain

To this day, Spain doesn't have a common legal framework on animal abuse and animal rights. That said, in early August, the Council of Ministers approved the Animal Protection Law, which we'll cover in more detail in the next section.

Similarly, articles 337 and 337 bis of the Spanish Civil Code already referred to animal abuse and abandonment as a crime. Specifically, article 337 states:

"Anyone who, by any means or method, unjustifiably mistreats an animal, causing injuries that seriously harm its health or subjecting it to sexual exploitation, may be sentenced to three months and one day to one year in prison and barred for one year and one day to three years from practicing any profession, trade, or business related to animals and from owning animals, if the victim is:

1. a domestic or tamed animal
2. an animal of a species that is usually domesticated
3. an animal that temporarily or permanently lives under human control, or d) any animal that doesn't live in the wild."

Adding to the text above, article 337 bis states that abandoning animals in public spaces can also be understood as a form of animal abuse.

New Animal Protection Law in Spain

The initiative driven by the Ministry of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda establishes stricter penalties for euthanizing, abandoning, and abusing animals in Spain.

To combat impunity (very common today) and ensure animal welfare, its text includes the following changes:

• Stricter penalties for animal abuse. Abusers can be sentenced to up to 24 months in prison, depending on the severity of the abuse, and up to 36 months if more than one aggravating factor is confirmed.
• Mandatory identification for all pets. This also clarifies that all dogs will be considered "pets," though the activity of "working dogs" will be regulated by specific provisions (for example, guide dogs, herding dogs, police dogs, and so on).
• Ban on euthanizing pets, except for health or end-of-life reasons.
• Ban on selling cats, dogs, and ferrets in pet stores, as well as displaying them to the public for commercial purposes.
• Restricting "breeding" activity exclusively to registered, professional breeders.
• Ban on using animals in activities and shows where they could suffer harm or death, like cockfighting or pigeon shooting.
• Eliminating circuses with wild animals, and converting zoos and aquariums/dolphinariums into recovery centers for native species.

A key step forward is that the scope of the animal abuse definition and applicable penalties extends to all vertebrate animals. This matters because, until now, most regulations focused on pets, creating a huge legal gap regarding the welfare and rights of "non-domesticated" animals.

With Council of Ministers approval, the new law is ready to begin its parliamentary process. Let's hope this is a definitive sign that Spain is finally moving toward a national legal framework on animal rights.

Types of Animal Abuse: What Are They and How to Identify Them?

The most obvious animal abuse happens when an animal is subjected to physical violence through hitting, punishment, or mutilation. That said, there are many other ways to violate animal welfare, whether through action or neglect, like depriving them of or ignoring their basic needs, like nutrition and hygiene.

Although a certain legal gap remains when it comes to humiliation and psychological abuse, we shouldn't forget these are also very cruel facets of animal abuse.

Moving into more controversial territory, we find certain types of animal abuse that have historically been normalized in many societies, like the use of animals in rituals or traditions with cultural or religious roots, for example.

"Socially Accepted" Types of Animal Abuse

• Draft/pulling labor. Horses, mules, and donkeys are the species most exploited for pulling carts and transporting loads, which often involves significant overexertion causing pain and physical exhaustion. This practice is commonly banned in urban centers, but still exists in rural/agricultural regions.
• "Recreational" activities with animals. Many have already been banned in several countries because they cause pain and/or suffering to the animals involved, like circuses with animals or dog fighting, for example. That said, bullfighting is an explicit type of animal abuse that's been "normalized" as part of Spanish culture and remains legal for "tradition" reasons.
• "Sport" hunting. Hunting remains permitted as a "sport" in several countries across Europe and Latin America, as long as local regulations are followed. Besides involving the use of animals (mostly dogs) in an activity that's clearly only recreational for humans, hunting is one of the biggest threats to native species conservation.
• Humanization. However much love we have for animals, we need to understand that humanizing them means depriving them of the ability to express themselves and behave naturally, freely following the behavioral codes typical of their species. This is another very normalized type of animal abuse in our society, but it means alienating an animal from its own nature.
• The food industry. Many don't consider this a type of animal abuse, since we've historically been taught some animals serve as food for humans, so exploiting certain species to produce food for people "isn't inherently wrong." That said, cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, and other animals used in the food industry often live in precarious conditions, confined in cages or small spaces, with no access to basic animal welfare standards.

How to Report Animal Abuse?

Working up the courage to report animal abuse is the best way to help prevent and eradicate it. Besides, of course, helping the animal that's a victim of abuse have access to a dignified life.

Generally speaking, reporting animal abuse means notifying the relevant authorities that an animal is being abused by its owner or someone else. What can vary, in practical terms, is which authorities you should contact to file the report (we'll cover this below).

Either way, the odds of convicting the abuser will be higher if evidence of the crime is provided. For example, photos, videos, or witnesses confirming the context or situations of abuse the abuser subjects their victim to.

Another good practice when reporting animal abuse is providing some basic information to help identify and/or locate the abuser and the abused animal. Ideally, you can share the address where the abuse is happening.

Numbers to Report Animal Abuse

While you can show up in person at the relevant authorities' offices in your city or region, it's also possible to file a report by phone. The number you can call to report animal abuse may vary depending on the country you live in or are located in. Here's some useful information:

Spain

Emergency: 112 (pets or domesticated animals) SEPRONA: 062 (wild animals)

Argentina

Guidance and reporting units: 4011-1400 Argentine National Gendarmerie: 4310-2589 Toll-free line: 0800-333-47225 (only for cases in CABA)

Colombia

"Anti-Cruelty Squad": line 018000115161 Line 123: abuse in progress Institutional email: [email protected]

Chile

Carabineros: 133 Metropolitan BIDEMA: (02) 27082372

Mexico

Animal Watch Brigade: 5208-9898 Environmental and Land Use Prosecutor's Office: 5265-0780 PROFEPA: 5449-6300 (wild animals)

If you don't know what number to call or which authority to contact to file an animal abuse report, you can search online, go to your nearest police station, or contact the police to ask for guidance. The most important thing is not to give up or be afraid to get involved, since animal welfare is everyone's responsibility!