Guatemalan congress supports creation of animal welfare legislation
A proposal for a new animal welfare law has been formally submitted to the Guatemalan congress.
This crucial development is the result of several years' work with our partner in Guatemala, ESAP, together with a range of stakeholders including Humane Society International and the University of San Carlos.
The proposal was well-received and the president committed the support of congress for this law, highlighting the gap in the country's current legislation.
The law will now be refined, and ESAP, who produced the working animal section, will head up the development of accompanying regulations for working horses, donkeys and mules.
News of this development was widely covered in the Guatemalan national media:
- Iniciativa de ley propone multas severas por maltrato a los animales
- USAC presentará iniciativa de Ley de Protección de Animales ante el Congreso
- Recibimos de la USAC la iniciativa de protección de animales. Propuse que también se prohiban las peleas de gallos
- Por el bienestar de los animales de trabajo
Guatemala has the highest number of equines in Central America with a major proportion living in rural and poor communities.