The Mérida City Council is carrying out at least 18 processes to issue fines for alleged cases of animal abuse, although the amounts are unknown.
This was stated by the head of the Environment and Well-being Unit of the Mérida City Council, Raúl Escalante Aguilar, who specified that these sanctions are given after pet owners fail to change their behavior or address the issues brought to their attention.
“The procedure for issuing the fine takes between 10 and 15 days. The point is that once the case is detected, the owners are notified and given 15 days to change their abusive behavior. If they fail to do so, the sanction process begins,” he explained. Among the main violations, Escalante Aguilar pointed out, are ignorance of wildlife regulations, keeping dogs or cats in poor condition, and pets tied up in the sun, without shelter, water, or food.
Likewise, dehydrated pets, show signs of abuse or have wounds that go untreated. He added that the issue of abuse is identified in dogs and cats; however, the Unit has received reports of horse, sheep, or backyard animals that are in poor condition.
“What we must emphasize is that in most of the reports, people change or modify their habits; of the reports we receive, 44% do so,” he explained. He also specified that each month, they receive between 350 and 400 reports of alleged cases of animal abuse, and the majority of them are located in the western and southern parts of the city.
As previously reported, the Mérida City Council imposed the first fine for animal abuse, which amounted to more than 11,000 pesos, and the three dogs were removed from the property to be transferred to the Animal Care Unit. “This was one of the first fines issued because we now have a Qualifying Judge who also specializes in animal abuse. This has greatly facilitated the speedy processing of the proceedings,” the municipal official concluded.
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