Ministry Issues Warning Against Animal Cruelty and Abandonment

The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare has issued a formal reminder that protecting animal welfare is a collective social responsibility, following a noticeable rise in cases of cruelty and abandonment.

Officials reported an increase in incidents where individuals have deliberately harmed, killed, or abandoned animals without providing necessary care. The ministry emphasised that animals are sentient beings and that their protection is a humanitarian, religious, and legal obligation.

The recently enacted Animal Welfare Act establishes fundamental rights for animals in line with international standards, ensuring they are free from hunger, thirst, fear, and psychological stress. The legislation also guarantees that animals are not subjected to physical discomfort or prevented from exhibiting normal behaviours.

The ministry warned that violations, including cruelty or the unsupervised abandonment of pets in public areas, will face strict enforcement and could lead to imprisonment. Financial penalties are set according to the severity of the offence, with fines ranging from MVR 5,000 to MVR 50,000 for acts of cruelty and MVR 5,000 to MVR 10,000 for public abandonment.