A Judiciary Police (PJ) officer has paid a fine of 35,000 patacas for mistreating his dog, but does not face criminal charges, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) announced yesterday.
The announcement was made during a press conference by the bureau which marked the first year since the Animal Protection Law took effect, the first of its kind in Macau.
According to the bureau, the officer’s dog-abusing case was classified as an administrative offence for mistreatment of an animal. If the case had been classified as animal cruelty, the officer would have faced criminal procedures.
According to the Animal Protection Law, the mistreatment of an animal carries a fine of between 20,000 and 100,000 patacas, whereas animal cruelty is punishable by imprisonment of up to one year.
