Animal Abuse and Cruelty in Costa Rica: What the Law Says and Where to Report

The Animal Welfare Law (Ley N.º 7451, of 1994) was thoroughly reformed by Law N.º 9458 of 2017 (known as the “Ley Aida” or Animal Abuse Law), which added specific offences to the Código Penal to punish cruelty against domestic or tamed animals.

The offences, with their penalties (Código Penal, Artículos 279 bis to quinquies):

• **Cruelty against animals** (Artículo 279 bis): from 3 months to 1 year imprisonment, to anyone who causes a domestic or tamed animal a injury that weakens its health persistently, causes loss of a sense, organ or limb, or inflicts intense suffering, severe pain or prolonged agony. The same penalty also applies to sexual acts with animals and vivisection for purposes other than research. The penalty can be increased by one‑third if the act is carried out by exploiting a power relationship to intimidate another person, or between two or more persons.
• **Death of the animal** (Artículo 279 ter): from 3 months to 2 years imprisonment, to anyone who intentionally kills a domestic or tamed animal, or when the death results from cruelty or an animal fight. Explicit exception: killing an animal solely for personal or family self‑consumption does not fall under this offence.
• **Animal fights** (Artículo 279 quinquies): from 3 months to 1 year imprisonment, to anyone who organizes, promotes or carries out fights of animals of any species, with no exceptions anywhere in the country.

Activities that do NOT fall under these offences (Artículo 279 quáter): regulated fishing and aquaculture, regulated agricultural/veterinary/livestock activities, sanitary or reproductive control, acts of mercy (e.g., euthanasia), crop protection, regulated research, public health, public animal shows in accordance with the law, and breeding or transport in line with current legislation.

Important note: in addition to these criminal offences (with jail time), the Animal Welfare Law also regulates less serious mistreatment (such as abandoning a pet) through administrative channels, with sanctions different from imprisonment — for the exact details of those administrative sanctions, verify directly with SENASA, as this sheet focuses on the Código Penal offences.

Where to report: the Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal (SENASA) handles general animal‑abuse cases, while the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) takes on cases that qualify as cruelty. Reports can be filed directly with the Ministerio Público, at any OIJ office, or through the OIJ confidential line: 800-8000-645.