(a) A person shall be guilty of the crime of animal abuse in its third-degree felony modality if a person willfully, knowingly, carelessly or with criminal negligence:\n(1) Inflicts a severe bodily injury, or\n(2) inflicts death on an animal.\n(b) This crime entails punishment by imprisonment ranging from three (3) years and one (1) day to eight (8) years.\n(1) If upon conviction, the accused qualifies and avails him/herself of serving time on probation or of any alternative method other than jail imprisonment, the punishment shall entail a mandatory fine ranging from three thousand [dollars] ($3,000) to ten thousand dollars ($10,000).\n(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, animal abuse shall be typified as a second-degree felony that entails the imposition of punishment by imprisonment ranging from eight (8) years and one (1) day to fifteen (15) years if:\n(1) The person committing the crime of animal abuse has been previously convicted of one or more offenses relative to:\n(A) Any law concerning animal protection in Puerto Rico or equivalent laws or regulations from another jurisdiction; or\n(B) any statute of Puerto Rico concerning domestic more offenses relative to:\n(A) Any law concerning animal protection in Puerto Rico or equivalent laws or regulations from another jurisdiction; or\n(B) any statute of Puerto Rico concerning domestic violence, child abuse or elderly abuse, or equivalent laws from another jurisdiction, or\n(C) the person knowingly abuses an animal in the immediate presence of a minor. For purposes of this paragraph, a minor is in the immediate presence of an instance of animal abuse if such an instance is seen or directly perceived in any manner by the minor.\n(i) If upon conviction, the accused qualifies and avails him/herself of serving time on probation or of any alternative method other than jail imprisonment, the punishment shall entail a mandatory fine ranging from ten thousand [dollars] ($10,000) to fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000).\nHistory —Aug. 4, 2008, No. 154, § 2.6.
Puerto Rico Legal Code