Animal cruelty against any animal is considered a crime Under the Criminal Code of Mexico City since 2014. Chapter IV contains the provisions regarding the crimes committed by acts of cruelty or mistreatment against non-human animals. Article 350 BIS establishes that whoever intentionally mistreats or cruelly acts against any specimen of any animal species causing injury, damage, or alteration in their health will be punished with one to up to three years of imprisonment and three hundred to five hundred times the Units of Measure and Update. In addition, intentional acts of cruelty or mistreatment that cause the death of an animal will be punished with imprisonment from two years to up to six years and six hundred to twelve hundred times the Units of Measure and Update.
The penalties will be increased by up to two thirds in those cases where methods that cause serious suffering to the animal are used prior to the death.
Methods that cause serious suffering are understood as all those that lead to non-immediate death and prolong the animal's agony. The use of an animal for sexual purposes is punishable with one to three years in prison and five hundred to a thousand times the Units of Measure and Update.
Enhanced Sanctions: The sanctions stipulated in this article shall be subject to a one-half increase if, in addition to the acts mentioned above, the individual responsible or any other person captures visual evidence with the purpose of publicly disseminating these acts through any means. The same increase applies for the killing of a companion animal for purposes of human consumption.
Other articles in this code concerning animals include: Article 54. 76, 226 BIS, and 226 TER.