Animal rights group files criminal complaint over cow death in Croatia

The animal rights organization ‘Prijatelji životinja’ has filed a criminal complaint with the Zadar Municipal State Attorney's Office following a case of severe animal neglect near Biograd. The complaint targets the owner of a cow and a calf that were reportedly left without care or drinking water for nearly a month in extreme summer temperatures.

According to the organization, the cow died from exhaustion and dehydration, and its carcass was left to decompose for at least a week. A calf was left traumatized alongside the deceased animal until a private citizen intervened to provide food and water. The organization is also calling for an investigation into the veterinary inspection's failure to act despite citizen reports.

Under Croatian law, abandoning animals is punishable by up to one year in prison, but because the neglect resulted in the death of the cow, the perpetrator faces a potential sentence of up to two years.