bolivia_ley_700_2015_defensa_animales.pdf (80.49 KB)
Article 3 defines what sort of rights animals are granted. It states that animals, as subjects to protection, have the right to be recognized as living beings, have the right to a healthy and protected environment, have the right to be protected against every type of violence, mistreatment and cruelty, and have the right to be helped and cared for.
Humans have the responsibility to avoid the unnecessary suffering of animals, to refrain from performing unnecessary surgical procedures on animals, to educate new generations about the importance of respect for animals and promote their defense, and to report to the competent authorities acts of abuse and cruelty that contravene the legal system related to the protection of animals, among others.
It also establishes the responsibilities of pet owners. Pet owners are responsible for not abandoning them, providing animals with necessary food and shelter, controlling their pets’ reproductive cycle, and providing their pets with proper and timely veterinary care. This law also gives media the responsibility to disseminate educational information about the respect and defense of animals.
Article 10 adds Articles 350 BIS and 350 TER to the Criminal Code, establishing penalties from six months to one year of prison, and fines from thirty to sixty days of work for those who intentionally caused severe suffering or injuries that cause total or partial loss of a physiognomy of an organ of an animal, or those who utilize animals for sexual practices. The penalties are increased from two to five years and fines to thirty to one hundred and eighty days of work when an animal is killed with cruelty or futile motives. The use of animals in traditional medicine practices, and rites that are governed by customs and uses of the indigenous culture and traditions, are exempted by dispositions laid out in this law.