Police in Bali’s Gianyar regency are looking into the death of a three-month old dog, which reportedly died after it was abused by a shopkeeper at a local market.
“The person who filed the report said he was told by his friends that his dog was abused by [a man identified as] INM,” Yoga Widyatmoko, who is chief of the local police in Blahbatuh sub-district of Gianyar regency, told Tribun-Bali.
Yoga explained that the dog owner was the one who filed the police report, and that the person had tried to rescue the young canine by taking him to the vet, but it unfortunately succumbed to its injuries after an hour. The vet reportedly concluded that the dog died from a severe head injury and other physical traumas.
Local animal rights organization Bali Animal Defender said on Instagram that they have accompanied the dog owner in filing the report. The organization alleges that INM saw the dog pass by his shop and proceeded to pull its leg and smash it on the ground, before hitting it with a metal stick.
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Police said INM allegedly abused the dog because it kept bothering his shop in the district’s Medahan Market. He was charged with violation of Article 302 of Indonesia’s criminal code on animal abuse, which carries a maximum prison sentence of nine months.
However, INM has not been detained because his possible criminal charge is under five years, Tribun-Bali reported.
Jovand Imanuel Calvary, who heads Bali Animal Defender, stressed the importance of fighting for cases of animal abuse and expressed hope that the perpetrator will be prosecuted.
“This is worth fighting for. So it could be a deterrent [and the] public can see that there is a regulation on animal abuse, and people won’t be so cruel,” Jovand said.
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