Another man has been charged under the Animal Welfare Act after a video emerged of him beating a dog.
Indar Bhagwant, a 42-year-old driver of Logwood Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was arrested on March 21 and appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court, ECD on Wednesday.
Bhagwant pleaded guilty to the charge of “Prohibited Act and Protection of Animal”, contrary to Section 4 (1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2018, and was fined $50,000, with an alternative sentence of three months’ imprisonment. The incident has sparked outrage among animal rights activists, who are calling for stricter enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act.
The case involving Bhagwant is not the first case of animal cruelty in recent times in Guyana.
One of the most recent cases involved 22-year-old Johnathan Layne, who was arrested by the Police at his West Ruimveldt, Georgetown home after being seen in viral videos on social media beating a dog. He was later charged with animal cruelty.
Layne pleaded not guilty and was placed on $5000 bail until his case was recalled.
With the assistance of the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA), Police were able to track down Layne after the videos first surfaced on Facebook. The incident of animal cruelty also caught the attention of Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, who shared the videos on his Facebook page. The dog in question was examined by a vet and is now in the care of the GSPCA’s shelter.
In addition to these incidents, there have been reports of dogs being poisoned, cats being burnt, and other instances of animal abuse. (G9)
