The Animal Friends Croatia NGO on Monday welcomed the planned amendment of the penal code whereby abandoning an animal will be treated as a felony offence carrying a prison sentence up to a year.

The NGO also hailed the introduction of harsher penalties for killing of and for offence of cruelty to animals.

The announced changes are commendable and a great step forward, the association says.

More stringent penalties can deter owners from abandoning their pets, the association notes, adding that the general public agrees with harsher punishment.

It adds that for instance, abandoning an animal is a criminal offence in Canada, Finland, Sweden, France, Northern Ireland, and Hungary.