An animal rights advocate is welcoming changes to the Animal Health and Protection Act.
The minister responsible, Gerry Byrne, announced changes to the act yesterday, which will increase fines, penalties and enforcement.
Heather Ballard of Rescue NL says they have been fighting for changes to the rules for a long time, adding they are a “big deal.”
Ballard calls changes to the definitions of ‘owner’, ‘distress’, and ‘abandonment’ as being key components of the amendments.
She says clearer definitions will give law enforcement greater ability to seize animals before they are beyond saving.
(RescueNL photo)
As an example, Ballard says under the old definition of distress it was difficult for an animal to be taken because the definition was so broad.
Veterinarians will also be barred from the elective and non-therapeutic declawing of cats.
Currently for matters related to the serious distress of an animal, the maximum fine is $50,000 and up to six months in jail for a first offence.
The changes will see added penalties for a second offence, with a fine of up to $75,000 and a year in prison, which Minister Gerry Byrne calls a “substantial deterrent.”
Veterinarian Dr. Maggie Brown Bury also likes the updated regulations, including a clearer definition of what constitutes abuse and abandonment. Brown Bury says any owner who is out of the picture for a defined amount of time can lose their pet.
“It is now four days, so if a vet clinic hasn’t heard from the owner for four days, it’s in writing that the clinic can contact the authorities,” she says.
