The ONLY nationwide law making animal cruelty a crime is under threat, affecting all pets and all farm animals. Please help ensure it is not overturned!

A bill seeking to revise current law by decriminalizing cruelty to “domestic or domesticated animals” has been put before Brazil’s National Congress.

Some politicians view animal protection as inconvenient, rather than essential for a compassionate society. They are campaigning hard for this bill. We need your help to ensure that animal cruelty remains a crime in Brazil.

If the proposed bill is passed by Brazil’s National Congress:

  • Brazil will have no nationwide penalties for animal abuse, meaning cruelty to dogs, cats, horses and many other species will have no consequences.
  • Animal lovers and advocates who report a dog being beaten or a horse being starved will see little or no action taken. These acts of cruelty and more will no longer be criminal offences throughout Brazil.
  • Animal welfare will be set back by decades. The potential for animal suffering to increase is horrifying.

To date, over 65,000 Brazilians have contacted Brazil’s National Congress to protest the bill. We believe international pressure will add huge weight to their actions.

This is a case where you really CAN make a difference

We are lucky to live in a country where we can confidently say animal cruelty is wrong, and more than that: it has nationally applicable consequences.

Please help ensure Brazil can continue to say the same.

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Please add your name to the following letter today, asking that the proposed bill (Bill 4548/98) be defeated and the law protecting animals upheld.

WSPA’s Brazil office will present the letter, along with names and nationalities of all signatories, to the President of the House of Representatives and all 13 party leaders in their National Congress.

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Dear President of the House and party leaders,

I am writing to you regarding Bill 4548/98, currently before the Brazilian House of Representatives. Proposed by ex-Representative José Thomaz Nonô, this bill aims to remove the expression “domestic and domesticated” from Law 9.605/98, which worries me greatly.

Although I am not a citizen of Brazil, I am very concerned that approval of the bill would signify a hugely disappointing step backwards in your national legislation.

When Law 9.605/98, also known as the Environmental Law, was passed in 1998 it represented a historical legislative landmark, recognized beyond Brazilian borders. In Article 32 of that law, it establishes that animal cruelty is a crime:

“To abuse, mistreat, hurt or mutilate wild, domestic or domesticated animals, native or exotic:
Punishment – 3 months to 1 year of detention and fine.
§1 – The same punishment will apply for painful or cruel experiments with live animals, even for scientific or educational purposes, when there are alternative methods.
§2 – The punishment is increased in 1/6 to 1/3 if the animal dies.”

If Bill 4548/98 passes, it would decriminalize acts of abuse against domestic animals. This is of great concern to me and is clearly against Brazil’s Federal Constitution – according to article 225, cruelty to any animal species is forbidden.

Besides contradicting the Constitution, approval of Bill 4548/98 would represent a huge step backwards in the history of animal protection in Brazil and would indicate a move to renege on your international commitment to value animal welfare.

In addition to the large-scale potential for animal suffering that drives me to contact you, the decriminalization of many acts of cruelty against domestic and domesticated animals – acts that occur every day in Brazil – would promote a cultural acceptance of violence in your society.

For all these reasons, I respectfully ask for the rejection of Bill 4548/98, which is currently ready to be voted on by the plenary of the House of Representatives.

People who care about animal welfare all over the world are counting on your help to ensure there are no changes to the Environmental Law that will decriminalize acts of animal abuse in Brazil. I will watch the future of the bill with interest and I thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Keep me updated with information from WSPA

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