If you have witnessed animal cruelty, including neglect or abandonment, please report it
Portugal’s PSP police force has created a dedicated email and phone helpline for citizens to report cases of animal neglect.
Similar to the GNR’s SEPNA (Nature and Environment Protection Service) force, the PSP police force now also has specific contacts to report animal mistreatment – defesanimal@psp.pt – which can be used by any citizen.
In addition to the email, the police also created the helpline 21POLICIA (217654242), through which concerned citizens can also make the denunciations or ask for clarifications.
The PSP underlines that, under the law that came into force in October last year, ill-treatment and abandonment of animals is a crime. The law states that “anyone who, without legitimate cause, inflicts pain, suffering or any other physical ill-treatment on a companion animal shall be punished with imprisonment for up to one year or with a fine of up to 120 days”.
The law also provides that the death of the animal or the “deprivation of an important organ or a limb or serious and permanent impairment of its ability to move” is punishable with imprisonment for up to two years or with a fine of up to 240 days.
The GNR’s SEPNA has the number 808 200 520, available for reporting cases of animal or environmental concern.
