The 59-year-old man in Heraklion dumped his newborn kitten on June 3. He locked the animals in a garbage bag, then drove them out of town and dumped them in the trash along the highway.
The woman found the pet in a horrific state long afterwards: one had died by then and the other four were dying. He also made a short video about the animals he found:
The puppies were quickly taken to the vet, but despite the medical treatment
Three of the four survivors later died, meaning only one pup survived.
The woman who found the animals filed a police report, and they were finally able to identify the man by June 9 through a surveillance camera. He also wrote that he confessed to the crime at the police station keeptalkinggreece.com.
In Greece, a new animal protection law recently entered into force, which was applied for the first time to this crime. Under this law, anyone who destroys a newborn animal or even tries to do it can be fined, which is in no way inevitable (previously, a fine of 30-30 thousand euros was imposed for this, but in some cases it can be waived about her).
To this end, the man has now been automatically fined €250,000.
In addition, the case is not over yet, in addition, the court may sentence him to imprisonment for up to 5 years, a decision on this will be made later. The 59-year-old said during questioning that he was unaware of this new law.
Maria Hostolaki, head of Greece’s Animal Welfare Organization, said such crimes were particularly common in Crete, but now that the new law has come into force, people must “finally understand that the right to life is inalienable to both people and non-humans.” People.” And they can’t just throw cats in the trash.
In addition to the stricter punishment, the law also gives people the option to seek legal assistance from local authorities if they are unable to care for a pet so that the animal can be moved.
