The Parliamentary Group Sí Podemos Canarias will defend in the Plenary session held this Wednesday in the Regional Chamber an initiative in defense of Animal Welfare, considering that "it is a priority to advance in the protection of their rights." "Given the unfortunate events that occurred with the stray dog 'Timple' in Lanzarote, who died tortured, recorded, whose images were shared on social networks, Sí Podemos Canarias believes that it is evident that there is a gap in the regulation of certain behaviors that, due to their special gravity, deserve greater criminal reproach," said the president of the parliamentary group and responsible for defending the proposal, María del Río.
"The way we relate to and treat animals reflects our humanity. Animals deserve a life without suffering, without humiliation or exploitation," insisted the Lanzarote parliamentarian. Therefore, the party believes that "the reform of our Penal Code, together with that of the Civil Code, are equally urgent in view of the obligations contracted by our State in international instruments, such as the European Convention on the Protection of Companion Animals, or the provisions of Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which requires States to respect the requirements regarding the welfare of animals as sentient beings."
Thus, the initiative that is being debated this Wednesday includes urging the State Government to promote a bill to modify the Civil Code and the Penal Code to "recognize animals as living beings endowed with sensitivity" and "improve and expand the definition of animals that are included in the criminal types in question, and revise the objective type, expanding the punishable conduct and the penalties provided, including aggravated types."
The initiative includes the design of a Regional Strategic Action Plan against abuse and abandonment in coordination with councils and town halls. Sí Podemos Canarias recalls that the data offered by the reports of the State Attorney General's Office in recent years "show a notable increase, both in complaints, as well as in proceedings that go to trial and convictions for animal abuse," as a result of "a clear evolution in social awareness and a greater social commitment to animal welfare."
According to the party, "this shows that society has reached a greater degree of maturity, with the idea that animals should be considered as mere belongings being clearly overcome and the growing awareness of the need to protect them as sentient beings, capable of suffering and deserving of protection by the State." "The current legislation does not satisfy the needs demanded by society, which requests a coherent revision of the current legislation and that those reform processes that have already begun be completed," concludes Del Río.