Abstract

Animal abuse is any act of mutilating or injuring wild, domestic or domesticated animals, whether native or not, which is a crime under Law 14.064/20. The growing demand for evaluations of these cases is in line with Law 5.517/98, which stipulated the exclusive competence of veterinary doctors for expert evaluations, reinforcing their importance in animal abuse crimes. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare cases of animal abuse, to understand the need for a veterinary expert to be involved in determining a report. A retrospective study was carried out of reports finalized since 2020 by the Military Police of the city of Itajubá. The data showed that very few reports were assessed by a veterinary expert (5.50%/2 cases), while 94.50% (34 cases) did not receive expert cooperation. The cases associated with the arrest of the perpetrators accounted for 36.11% (13 cases) and 47.22% (17 cases) remained available, resulting in an increasing demand for finalization. Among the perpetrators involved, 62.85% were men (22 perpetrators) and 22.85% women (8 perpetrators), as well as their veracity in the practical case addressed representing the correct conclusion for judicial collaboration. Therefore, we conclude that it is important to consolidate the law and that it is necessary for a medical expert to participate in the specific determination of a report to collaborate in judicial decisions.

Keywords

Violence, sentencing, assessments, crimes, forensic veterinary medicine