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Docking pets' tails and ears has also been made
illegal, as has trimming cats' claws for aesthetic purposes.
On new construction sites, cat colonies must be taken care of
rather than poisoned or culled. Among the new rules
are many which are seen as overdue, and that are
already in law in many European countries, such as
the offering of any animal as a prize, locking pets
inside cars in hot weather and keeping animals in
shop windows.
"The civilization of a city can be measured by this," Monica
Cirinna, the councillor who sponsored the by-law, told Rome-based newspaper Il
Messaggero.
The city council's Animal Rights Office will spread the news through campaigns in schools, vets' surgeries and animal rights
organizations, and will also recruit new personnel which will work side by side with city police.
However critics say that even though these new
laws are welcomed in theory, putting them into
practice and punishing offenders will be far from
easy, especially since pets will be unaware of their
newly-acquired rights. Critics also suggest there
are not enough specifics to the regulations, such as
how many miles or for how long dogs must be walked.
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