Cuba is preparing a draft law for animal protection that proposes the criminalization of mistreatment, establishing a control and identification record for pets and regulating their commercialization, its promoters said this Monday.

This is a legislation that so far has not existed on the island and that has been insistently demanded by animal defense groups that actively denounce acts of abuse and neglect, especially in the case of stray dogs that roam the streets.

The president of the National Animal Welfare Committee of the Veterinary Scientific Council of Cuba, María Gloria Vidal, explained that the draft Animal Welfare Law is being reviewed by the legal department of the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG), as reported by the state media.

Vidal said that the legislative text includes rights and duties of citizens towards animals and provides penalties for those who fail to comply with the regulations, from high fines to prison sentences.