Animal Cruelty: the Ugly SIde of our “Green” Country

Animal Cruelty: the Ugly SIde of our “Green” Country

The Cult News| October 2014
By W.S

A toucan left unconscious without the upper part of its beak, an axed anteater, a bound crocodile in a bar, abused dogs with a low chance of being rehabilitated, a tiny baby ocelot found dehydrated in a house… What is going on in Costa Rica, the “green” country? Since the news of the beakless toucan back in January, some say there has been an enormous increase in cases of animal abuse and, incredibly, a massive indignation from the citizens. According to La Nación, the National Service of Animal Health (Senasa) informed about 1,200 reports of animal abuse last year. In comparison to the 1,200 reports of animal abuse from last year, it seems as if this 2015 will be even worse for animals across this country. The toucan incident is not only outrageous, but also a vicious crime. To make this all worse, a reinforcement of the animal protection law is still missing.

It is incredible that Costa Rica, the green country, has not approved a more efficient law for the protection of animals. Animals abuse should be punished by prison time.  Even with all the indignation of citizens, all the petitions and the protests –like the one on February 8^th, the government is still not willing to pay full attention to this matter. Evidently, President Luis Guillermo Solís has distinct priorities in spite the fact that during his presidential campaign he promised to prioritize this bill concerning the animal law and pledged to be a supporter of animals’ rights.  

Let’s also not forget that a bill has to be supported and accepted by the legislators. However, since last year, many opposite arguments that favor the livestock sector have unfolded. During the protest Protesta de la Muerte on February 2015, a legislator indicated that they have been ignoring the requests for the approval of this new bill.

With the obvious indifference and the obstacles this law is confronting, the government has showed a complete double moral. They state that they are trying to promote and approve this new bill but still they set obstacles in front of it. They print out an ecological image of this country to the rest of the world, yet we are not.