A citizens’ proposal to end the “slaughter” of animals at Portuguese kennels is going to be launched tomorrow (March 7) by animal rights party PAN in its head-office in Lisbon.
In an official statement, PAN said its proposal aims to “prohibit the indiscriminate slaughter of animals by local councils, implement a policy to control the stray animal population and establish additional conditions for the breeding and sale of pet animals.
“PAN won’t turn its back on its responsibilities and intends to take this debate to Parliament and approve measures that have been demanded by the Portuguese people for a long time,” the statement reads.
As PAN holds no seats in Parliament, its bid has to be presented in the format of a citizens’ proposal (Iniciativa Legislativa de Cidadãos, or ILC).
The proposal must receive 35,000 signatures if it is to be considered in parliament.
“If this happens, hopefully it will be approved and the massacre of many thousands of dogs and cats every year in Portugal will finally end,” said PAN.
The party says further details on how people can sign their proposal will be revealed tomorrow.
Meantime, it is inviting anyone interested to show up at PAN’s offices on Avenida Almirante Reis in Lisbon tomorrow between 2pm-4pm and be one of the first to sign.
This news comes just days after the Resident reported on a group of animal lovers who have joined forces to “expose the truth” behind Loulé’s municipal kennels –which they describe as a place where animals suffer “a fate far worse than death” (see http://portugalresident.com/loul%C3%A9-%E2%80%98hell%E2%80%99-kennel-exposed)
By MICHAEL BRUXO [email protected]
