Mexico City legislators propose animal welfare law linking commercial earnings to care

Mexico City lawmakers introduced two related initiatives to strengthen protection for animals that generate income. Deputy Luisa Fernanda Ledesma Alpízar (Movimiento Ciudadano) presented the "Ley Merlín," which would amend the city’s Animal Protection and Welfare Law to require that a share of revenues from any commercial activity involving an animal be allocated to its food, veterinary care, rehabilitation, environmental enrichment and dignified old age.

At the same time, Deputy Iliana Ivón Sánchez Chávez (Morena) brought forward a proposal to eliminate overlapping civil penalties for animal cruelty, consolidating all sanctions under the criminal code. The measure seeks to delete administrative infractions related to animal abuse from the City’s Civic Culture Law, ensuring uniform, proportionate penalties and possibly treating certain acts as aggravating circumstances in the criminal offense of animal mistreatment. Both proposals are awaiting committee review in the Mexico City Congress.