In the past, animal poisoning has been overlooked by authorities, but in 2020 the State Legislature amended the Penal Code to make the killing of any vertebrate animal a crime punishable by six months to two years in prison and a fine of approximately 6500 to 32,000 pesos. Anyone can bring a violation to the attention of the Ministerio Público in Guanajuato.
The city’s Animal Control and Assistance Center (Centro de Control y Asistencia Animal), or CECAA, can help with trapping a stray or feral animal that is causing a problem. Amigos de los Animals has lent CECAA its dog trap for just such purposes. CECAA (tel. 473 733 4839) is located at Calle Arboledas S/N in Colonia Arroyo Verde; its hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Some local veterinarians will also lend their customers cat traps.
People who take out their frustrations by deliberately inflicting suffering or death on innocent animals, whether neighbors’ pets, strays, or feral animals, should be denounced to the authorities. Veterinarians at CECAA will investigate reported cases of poisoning if the food consumed by a deceased animal or its body is brought to them for analysis.
If your pet shows signs of poisoning, take it and, if possible, the contaminated food immediately to your veterinarian. Do not attempt to treat the symptoms on your own. It is also wise, as well as required by law, to keep your pets under your direct control when they are in public.