Animal cruelty : harsher legislation or more enforcement?

Abstract

This study examines how the general public and professionals engaged in the protection of animal rights and welfare in Malta perceive the legislative and enforcement mechanisms in place to address animal cruelty. The aim of this research is to raise more awareness on animal rights in Malta and enable more evidence-based practice for the amelioration of existing legislative, and enforcement mechanisms. Thus, the study aims to ensure that punishments meted out by the court for animal cruelty cases reflect the seriousness of the crime, and assess the public’s level of awareness and stance on current legal and punitive provisions, and enforcement of animal cruelty offences. For this study, both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. The public’s perception was obtained by conducting an online survey, while the professionals’ opinions were studied by carrying out semi-structured faceto- face interviews. The data obtained from the interviews suggest that more enforcement is needed when it comes to animal cruelty. On the other hand, the data obtained from the survey research suggests that more enforcement, as well as harsher legislation are needed. A comparative analysis of the similarities and differences between the data gathered from both the public and professionals suggests that more effective enforcement of existing legislation is required. This study presents a number of recommendations to help improve the promotion and protection of animal rights through both legislative and enforcement mechanisms. The study also lists a number of recommendations for the conduction of further research in the area.