site.btaActing Prosecutor General Sarafov Warns Inaction Fuels Animal Cruelty, Calls for Zero Tolerance

Failure by the authorities to respond promptly to violence triggers further escalation, acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov said here on Monday. He addressed a forum hosted by MEP Emil Radev (GERB/EPP) titled Together Against Cruelty! New Threats and Effective Solutions for Animal Protection.

Sarafov urged zero tolerance towards aggression, noting that society’s outrage after the recent Pernik animal-cruelty case showed how firmly such acts are rejected. 

He reported that more than 300 people have been prosecuted for animal cruelty in the past five years, yet the real figure is likely higher because many incidents go unreported or occur online. Law-enforcement bodies must improve electronic evidence gathering, he added.