2006 Louisiana Laws - RS 14:102.1 — Cruelty to animals; simple and aggravated

§102.1.  Cruelty to animals; simple and aggravated

A.(1)  Any person who intentionally or with criminal negligence commits any of the following shall be guilty of simple cruelty to animals:

(a)  Overdrives, overloads, drives when overloaded, or overworks a living animal.

(b)  Torments, cruelly beats, or unjustifiably injures any living animal, whether belonging to himself or another.

(c)  Having charge, custody, or possession of any animal, either as owner or otherwise, unjustifiably fails to provide it with proper food, proper drink, proper shelter, or proper veterinary care.

(d)  Abandons any animal.  A person shall not be considered to have abandoned an animal if he delivers to an animal control center an animal which he found running at large.

(e)  Impounds or confines or causes to be impounded or confined in a pound or other place, a living animal and fails to supply it during such confinement with proper food, proper drink, and proper shelter.

(f)  Carries, or causes to be carried, a living animal in or upon a vehicle or otherwise, in a cruel or inhumane manner.

(g)  Unjustifiably administers any poisonous or noxious drug or substance to any domestic animal or unjustifiably exposes any such drug or substance, with intent that the same shall be taken or swallowed by any domestic animal.

(h)  Injures any animal belonging to another person without legal privilege or consent of the owner.

(i)  Mistreats any living animal by any act or omission whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable physical pain, suffering, or death is caused to or permitted upon the animal.

(j)  Causes or procures to be done by any person any act enumerated in this Subsection.

(2)(a)  Whoever commits the crime of simple cruelty to animals shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.

(b)  In addition to any other penalty imposed, a person who commits the crime of cruelty to animals shall be ordered to perform five eight-hour days of court-approved community service.  The community service requirement shall not be suspended.

B.(1)  Any person who intentionally or with criminal negligence tortures, maims, or mutilates any living animal, whether belonging to himself or another, shall be guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals.

(2)  Any person who tampers with livestock at a public livestock exhibition or at a private sale shall also be guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals.

(3)  Any person who causes or procures to be done by any person any act designated in this Subsection shall also be guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals.

(4)  Whoever commits the crime of aggravated cruelty to animals shall be fined not less than five thousand dollars nor more than twenty-five thousand dollars or imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not less than one year nor more than ten years, or both.

(5)  For purposes of this Subsection, where more than one animal is tortured, maimed, mutilated, or maliciously killed¹ or where more than one head of livestock is tampered with, each act comprises a separate offense.

C.  This Section shall not apply to the lawful hunting or trapping of wildlife as provided by law, herding of domestic animals, accepted veterinary practices, and activities carried on for scientific or medical research governed by accepted standards.

D.  For purposes of this Section, fowl shall not be defined as animals.  Only the following birds shall be identified as animals for purposes of this Section:

(1)  Order Psittaciformes-parrots, parakeets, lovebirds, macaws, cockatiels or cockatoos.

(2)  Order Passeriformes-canaries, starlings, sparrows, flycatches, mynah or myna.

(3)  Order Anseriformes-Anatidae--swans, geese, and all forms of ducks.

(4)  Order Struthioniformes--ratites-ostriches, emus, rheas, cassowaries, and kiwis.

(5)  Genus-Pavo--peacocks and peahens.

Added by Acts 1982, No. 431, §1.  Acts 1983, 1st Ex.  Sess., No. 6, §1; Acts 1987, No. 336, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1165, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1246, §1, eff. June 29, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 461, §2; Acts 1997, No. 1212, §1; Acts 2006, No. 228, §1.

¹As appears in enrolled bill.