Judge Rodrigo Carlos Alves de Melo, of the 1st Court of Brotas, ruled this Thursday (20), that the more than a thousand buffaloes that were found in a situation of abuse, hungry and thirsty, on a farm in the region, be donated to the NGO Amor e Respeito Animal (Ara).
The magistrate personally summoned the entity so that, within ten days, it should indicate the destination of the animals or point out other entities with the capacity to receive the animals.
The decision accepted a request made by the Public Ministry and concerns not only the buffaloes, but all the animals that are victims of abuse that are on the Água Sumida farm, in Brotas – including at least 72 horses, including horses and ponies.
The Prosecutor’s Office stressed that the urgent request was aimed at the welfare of the animals and requested that they be donated preferably to the NGO Ara. The request was based on a provision of the Environmental Crimes Law, which requires the competent authority to transfer the seized animals to competent entities or bodies.
When analyzing the case, Judge Rodrigo Carlos Alves de Melo considered that, despite the fact that the criminal action in question filed against farmer Luiz Augusto Pinheiro de Souza (owner of the property) is still in its infancy, there is ‘plenty of evidence of the materiality’ of the mistreatment of animals.
Along these lines, the magistrate understood that there is no need to wait for the end of the process for the animals to be apprehended and disposed of, as provided for in the Environmental Crimes Law.
“It should be noted that the measure is urgent, in view of the large number of seized animals that are still on the rural property in question, generating daily expenses for their maintenance, threatening the health of the animals and also public health, being necessary immediate destination to the entities referred to in the Environmental Crimes Law”, wrote the magistrate in the order.
Reference: CNN Brasil
