For more than 230 thousand people, anyone who abuses an animal should not get a second chance to have another one under their care. 🐾 That is the idea behind a petition submitted in the United Kingdom that seeks to toughen the consequences for those convicted of animal cruelty or neglect.
The initiative calls for these people to automatically receive a lifetime ban on owning, caring for, or controlling animals, in addition to creating a public registry of people convicted of these types of crimes. Currently, British courts can already prevent someone from owning animals again and can even do so permanently, but the sanction depends on each case.
The petition surpassed 230 thousand signatures and reached the British Parliament. However, the Government responded that it does not plan to establish an automatic lifetime ban, as it considers that judges should retain the ability to decide the penalty according to the circumstances of each offense.
Even so, the enormous support it received reopened the debate about how much penalties for animal abuse should be increased. For those promoting the measure, the logic is simple: if someone has already shown that they are capable of harming an animal, they should not have the opportunity to put another one at risk.