Quintana Roo Bill Would Jail Pet Owners Who Abandon or Neglect Animals

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A proposal introduced in Quintana Roo’s Congress would punish people who abandon their pets or fail to give them food, water and adequate shelter with six months to two years in prison.

The initiative would add Article 179-Ter-4 to the state’s Penal Code, allowing penalties even when an animal has not been injured or killed, as long as the deliberate lack of care endangers its life or well-being.

Along with prison time, the measure proposes a fine of 50 to 100 days’ worth of the minimum wage and would let authorities intervene before abandonment or neglect causes serious harm to an animal.

The bill also sets out a harsher penalty when an animal dies as a result of such conduct. In those cases, the sentence could be increased by up to half, bringing the maximum proposed punishment to three years in prison.

Backers of the initiative argue that abandonment and the deliberate withholding of care should be written specifically into the Penal Code, since prosecutors currently may only act when there is visible injury or the animal has died.

The proposal remains in the legislative process, meaning the proposed penalties are not yet part of Quintana Roo’s Penal Code.