Which animals can be kept at home with the new animal welfare law?

The aim of this law is to prevent the abandonment of animals, to promote their adoption as opposed to their purchase, and to combat animal abuse. To achieve this, the government has implemented various mechanisms such as the consideration for the first time of creatures as subjects with rights, as well as the creation of a list of prohibited pets or the control of animal breeding. Some of the sections of the controversial law will be developed and explained in more detail in the following months.

On the other hand, in most households the most common pets are dogs, cats and certain types of birds. Even so, there are people who enjoy incorporating exotic animals into their lives. The Government, through this law, protects these animals, but at the same time, pursues those people who dedicate themselves to the breeding, with an illegal tendency, of these curious animals. One of the key objectives is also to preserve the balance of the environment.

Which animals can no longer be kept at home?

With the approval of this new law, dogs and cats can be kept at home, but it will no longer be possible to keep animals that are protected species, that pose a risk to public health, that constitute an ecological risk and that are not naturally present in Spain. Among those mentioned are: spider, parrot, agaporni, parakeet, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig, chinchilla, hedgehog, raccoon, mink, snake, iguana, lizard, chameleon, gecko and even turtles.

Animals such as turtles are also major vectors of diseases, fungi and parasites. Hedgehogs, for example, are a threat to other native species and rabbits, whose invasion is no longer subtle, are causing real havoc in the countryside.

What do we do with the animals that live with us?

Predictably, what is happening is that after the passing of this law many households will have banned pets, as they will have been added to what is known as the Spanish Catalogue of Invasive Alien Species. Therefore, your pet will continue to be a companion animal, but you will be obliged to report the case to the authority. We recommend that, if you find yourself in this situation, you consult an organisation, which will be in charge of this registration in each community, because this is a competence delegated to the autonomous regions.

Under no circumstances should pets (whether rabbits, snakes or iguanas) be abandoned. Firstly, because we will be causing serious harm to the animal; secondly, because we will also be causing an imbalance in the environment that can have important consequences for people and other species. We must not lose sight of the fact that many of these species are exotic or have become invasive over the years. If you have any doubts, we recommend that you consult SEPRONA (Nature Protection Service).

Will I be fined for keeping pets that are prohibited by law?

As you might already guess, the answer is yes. The aims of this new law, apart from curbing the keeping of such animals, is to stop breeding, reproduction and trade, which will become illegal. Therefore, there will be three types of economic sanctions for those who do not comply with the law (including those who have not duly informed of the possession of these species prior to the approval of the law). The penalties are as follows:

Slight: from 500 to 10,000 euros.

Serious: from 10,001 to 50,000 euros.

Very serious: from 50,001 to 200,000 euros.