PROTECTION OF ANIMALS

CHAPTER 66:01
PROTECTION OF ANIMALS

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

    SECTION

    1.    Short title

    2.    Interpretation

    3.    Offences of cruelty

    4.    Court may order destruction of animal

    5.    Court may deprive person convicted of cruelty of ownership of animal

    6.    Compensation for damage done by cruelty to an animal

    7.    Injured animals

    8.    Search warrants

    9.    Powers of police officers

    10.    Employers and owners to produce drivers or animals if so required

    11.    Costs

    12.    Payments out of fine

    13.    Infirmaries

    14.    Power to make Rules

16 of 1944
5 of 1961
30 of 1969
G.N. 22/1963
50/1963

    An Act to make provision for the protection of animals

1.    Short title

    This Act may be cited as the Protection of Animals Act.

2.    Interpretation

    In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

    “animal” means any domestic or captive animal;

    “domestic animal” means any horse, ass, mule, bull, sheep, pig, goat, dog, cat, or fowl, or any other animal of whatsoever kind or species, and whether a quadruped or not, which is tame or which has been or is being sufficiently tamed to serve some purpose for the use of man;

    “captive animal” means any animal (not being a domestic animal) of whatsoever kind of species, and whether a quadruped or not, including any bird, fish, or reptile, which is in captivity, or confinement, or which is maimed, pinioned, or subjected to any appliance or contrivance for the purpose of bindering or preventing its escape from captivity or confinement;

    “inspector” means a person appointed as such for the purposes of this Act by the Minister; and

    “veterinary officer” means an officer in the service of the Veterinary Department of the Government.

3.    Offences of cruelty

    (1) If any person—

    (a)    shall cruelly beat, kick, ill-treat, override, overload, torture, infuriate, or terrify any animal, or shall cause or procure, or, being the owner, permit any animal to be so used, or shall by wantonly or unreasonably doing or omitting to do any act, or causing or procuring the commission or omission of any act, cause any unnecessary suffering or being the owner, permit unnecessary suffering to be so caused to any animal;

    (b)    shall convey or carry, or cause or procure, or, being the owner, permit to be conveyed or carried, any animal in such a manner or position as to cause that animal any unnecessary suffering;

    (c)    shall cause, procure, or assist at the fighting or baiting of any animal; or shall keep, use, manage or act or assist in the management of, any premises or place for the purpose, or partly for the purpose, of fighting or baiting any animal, or shall permit any premises or place to be so kept, managed, used, or shall receive or cause or procure any person to receive, money for the admission of any person to such premises or place;

    (d)    shall wilfully, without any reasonable cause or excuse, administer, or cause or procure, or being the owner, permit, such administration of, any poisonous or injurious drug or substance to any animal, or shall wilfully, without any reasonable cause or excuse, cause any such substance to be taken by any animal; or

    (e)    shall subject, or cause or procure, or being the owner permit to be subjected, any animal to any operation which is performed without due care and humanity,

such person shall be guilty of an offence of cruelty within the meaning of this Act, and shall be liable to a fine of £25 and to imprisonment for six months.

    (2) For the purpose of this section, an owner shall be deemed to have permitted cruelty within the meaning of this Act if he shall have failed to exercise reasonable care and supervision in respect of the protection of the animal therefrom:

    Provided that, where an owner is convicted of permitting cruelty within the meaning of this Act by reason only of his having failed to exercise such care and supervision he shall not be liable to imprisonment without the option of a fine.

    (3) Nothing in this section shall render illegal any act done by a registered medical practitioner or by a veterinary surgeon, which may be lawfully done under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, of the United Kingdom, by a person licensed under that Act, or shall apply—

    (a)    to the commission or omission of any act in the course of the destruction, or the preparation for destruction, of any animal as food for mankind, unless such destruction or such preparation was accompanied by the infliction of unnecessary suffering; or

    (b)    to the coursing or hunting of any captive animal, unless such animal is liberated in an injured,…