Veterinarians in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia are now required to report possible cases of animal abuse, neglect and cruelty under changes to the Animal Protection Act, reports the ChronicleHerald. The law is similar to the one that requires doctors to report suspected cases of child abuse.
Prior to the changes in the law, pets were considered “personal information” of the owners, and thusly regarded as private. As a result, veterinarians may have had to risk court reprisals from owners, said Kristin Williams, executive director of the Nova Scotia SPCA. “This is a much-needed, much-improved part of the legislation,” she continued.
That’s not the only change to the law. Livestock will no longer fall under the auspices of the SPCA but instead be watched over by the Agriculture Department.
This shift is expected to save the SPCA, which has a significantly lower budget, a substantial amount of money.
“They [the Agriculture Department] are a ministry within the government that has dedicated resources that are paid through tax dollars to facilitate these investigations,” Williams said. “They have access to training and veterinarian services that are specific to large animals, and other specialties in terms of skills.”
This frees up time and energy to focus on companion animals, such as dogs and cats. The Nova Scotia SPCA handles more than 1,500 complaints per year.
PHOTOS: MyFinances.co.uk
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Category : News
