Viviana Cervieri
Cervieri Monsuárez, Montevideo, Uruguay
vivianacervieri@cmlawyers.com.uy

Lucía Arimón
Cervieri Monsuárez, Asunción, Paraguay
larimon@cmlawyers.com.py

Romina González
Cervieri Monsuárez. Asunción. Paraguay
Ergonzalez@cmlawyers.com.py

Introduction

The Republic of Paraguay has taken an important step in strengthening animal protection with the enactment of Law No 7513/2025 On Animal Welfare and Protection.¹ This updated regulation aims to establish mechanisms to promote animal welfare, set criminal penalties for those responsible for acts of mistreatment or cruelty, and create the National Registry of Animal Abusers (RAGAN). For the first time, the law also recognises animals as sentient beings within Paraguay’s legal framework.

With this reform, Paraguay joins a growing global trend that seeks to integrate animal protection into the frameworks of human rights, environmental law, and principles of social responsibility.

The sentient being: a legal paradigm shift

Traditionally, Paraguayan legislation, like most civil law systems, considered animals as property, which limited their protection. The Paraguayan Civil Code does not include an explicit recognition of animals as beings capable of feeling; it refers to them only in situations related to insurance contracts or property.² The new Law No 7513/2025 breaks with this view by establishing that animals are sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, suffering, and distress. This represents both a moral and legal acknowledgment of their capacity to feel, shifting the focus from a purely utilitarian approach to one centered on family and social welfare.³

The law applies to animals, whether domestic, wild, or exotic in captivity, including working, draft, or farmed animals historically found in rural areas. It establishes that animals must be treated with dignity, ensuring they do not experience unnecessary pain or suffering during breeding, capture, display, quarantine, or sale.

Animal suffering and its legal consequences

Law No 7513/2025, in its chapter on administrative offences and penalties, classifies behaviours contrary to animal welfare according to their severity. These include failure to keep medical records, failure to vaccinate, unauthorised street vending, insufficient feeding and hydration, dissemination of material showing abuse or cruelty, veterinary practice by unauthorised persons, and repeat offences. All these offences are subject to administrative proceedings and penalties proportional to the severity of the conduct. The law expressly distinguishes between animal abuse and cruelty, classifying both as punishable offences.

Abuse includes behaviours that involve neglect in the care of the animal, subjecting them to excessive work, exposing them to extreme weather conditions, using violent methods of control or training, or the improper administration of drugs. Cruelty, on the other hand, encompasses acts that cause serious injury or death to the animal, such as poisoning, mutilation, abandonment, running over, or intentional killing.

The penalties range from two years' imprisonment or a fine for mistreatment to up to six years for cruelty, reflecting the clear intention of the legislator to recognise the seriousness of animal suffering and ensure effective punishment.⁴

Institutional tools and sociocultural challenges

One of the most innovative aspects of the legislation is the creation of the National Registry of Animal Abusers (RAGAN), under the National Directorate for Animal Defense, Health, and Welfare, which will report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG). This registry compiles data on individuals convicted of crimes of abuse or cruelty, as well as those who have been administratively sanctioned, constituting a preventive and deterrent tool.⁵

RAGAN access is limited to authorised institutions and individuals consulting their own data, as well as veterinary hospitals, clinics, associations, foundations, and shelters to protect the privacy and confidentiality of sensitive data.

Although Law No 7513/2025 marks a significant advance in the legal protection of animals, there are currently legislative attempts that could contradict its spirit. For example, bills have been introduced in the Senate that seek to declare activities known as ‘Torín’ or bullfighting as cultural or traditional heritage of Paraguay. This introduction of the new bill highlights continued controversy between the preservation of traditions and the recognition of animals as sentient beings, which could hinder the full implementation of the law. Moreover, law enforcement requires institutional capacity, posing a challenge for authorities and civil society.

well

Animal Welfare Law No 7513/2025 represents a milestone in the evolution of Paraguayan law, recognising animals as sentient beings and establishing clear mechanisms for their criminal and administrative protection. More than a legislative advance, this law constitutes an important change, recognising that the dignified treatment of animals is inseparable from the values of justice, respect, and sustainability that define a modern society.

The challenge now lies in turning the legal text into effective action through education, institutional cooperation, and political will. Paraguay is positioning itself at the regional forefront of animal protection, but its success will depend on its ability to transform this legal framework into a reality that guarantees genuine promotion of animal welfare.

Notes

1     Law No 7513/2025 on Animal Welfare and Protection (Paraguay), Official Gazette (19 August 2025).

2     See Paraguayan Civil Code Law No 1183/1985, art 1833.

3     See Law No 7513/2025; see note 2, art 1.

4     Ibid, art 67.

5     Ibid, art 47.