Santa Catarina launches animal‑rights task force in ten municipalities

The Public Ministry of Santa Catarina (MPSC) has started the first phase of the Guardião da Vida Animal project, a task force targeting animal cruelty in ten municipalities that recorded the highest incidence of abuse. The cities – Palhoça, Jaguaruna, São José, Campos Novos, Garopaba, Florianópolis, Belmonte, Biguaçu, Lauro Müller and Mondaí – will receive intensified monitoring, free sterilisation campaigns, permanent reporting channels, staff training, and support for municipal legislation. The initiative also aims to establish identification programs for domestic animals and educational campaigns on responsible ownership. Coordinating prosecutor Simone Schultz emphasized that the program seeks to turn the diagnostic data on cruelty into concrete preventive and protective actions.