Animal rights group call for harsher laws against animal cruelty

Following the horrific case of Star, the dog which was shot, tied and buried alive near Ghar Hasan in Birzebbuga, the animal rights group has come forward calling for change in the legislation.

“If laws are not made tougher, then one can only assume that the law is actually condoning cruelty by its inertia to change to harsher penalties,” the group said. “Penalties should include jail terms with psychiatric treatment for offenders, not some small fine and be let on the streets again to stealthily inflict more pain on the defenceless.”

Myriam Kirmond, spokesperson of the animal rights group, said cases like that of Star are not as rare as one is led to believe.

“A very disturbing study has shown that perpetrators with such sordid imagination gain great joy in performing and inflicting such acts of repetitive cruelty,” Kirmond said. “Keeping this in mind, one can say that Star may well not have been the only victim here nor the last but simply the only case found.”

Kirmond added: “this particular case was definitely the work of one or more sadistic beings who find gratification by inflicting suffering on defenseless animals and, chances being, will later inflict pain on defenseless human beings.”