Harsher penalties for animal abusers proposed

In the wake of yet another incident on the island of Crete involving the abuse of a dog, the government will push for the introduction of a stricter criminal framework that will make the prosecution and punishment of animal abusers more effective, according to Minister of Rural Development and Food Makis Voridis. 

“In the immediate future, we will propose the adoption of such legislation to Parliament," he said, after Monday’s incident in a village in Hania where a man tied up and hung his dog in his backyard and castrated it with pliers.

The dog survived the incident after undergoing surgery.

Police are seeking the culprit, a 55-year-old civil servant who is missing.