On April 19, the Animal Protection Act was amended. As we read on the rp.pl website:
As a result, stricter penalties apply for killing animals and abusing them. Perpetrators now face not two, but three years in prison. If they are particularly cruel, they may even spend five years behind bars.
A mandatory—and therefore unavoidable for the perpetrator—compensatory payment will be ordered by the court in the amount of PLN 1,000 to PLN 100,000 for a purpose related to animal protection. Until now, the court could, but did not have to, order such a payment in the amount of PLN 500 to PLN 100,000. It was ordered in an average of 39% of convictions, while in 88% of cases the amount did not exceed PLN 1,000. Over the past five years, a payment of PLN 5,000 to PLN 10,000 was ordered twice, while an amount from PLN 10,000 to PLN 20,000 was ordered only once.
Details are available on the “Rzepa” website. What do you think? Will harsher penalties lead to fewer cases of animal abuse? We invite you to discuss.