Yabebyry, Misiones Province, Paraguay – The National Directorate of Animal Protection and Welfare has announced via its official social media channels the preventative arrest of Mr. Willian Alejo García García by order of the Public Prosecutor's Office, in accordance with Law No. 4840/13 on Animal Protection and Welfare, and its amending Laws No. 5892/17 and No. 6374/24.

Mr. García García was apprehended under Court Order No. 151/2017 in connection with a case initiated for alleged animal abuse and cruelty.

The victimized horse has been rescued and is currently being transferred to the capital, Asunción, where it will receive specialized veterinary care to ensure its full recovery and well-being.

The National Directorate of Animal Protection and Welfare reiterated its firm opposition to all forms of animal abuse and cruelty, emphasizing its continued commitment to working rigorously and responsibly to ensure compliance with the law and the effective protection of all sentient beings.

A video circulating on social media depicted several individuals tying a horse with ropes, forcefully pulling it down, and then brutally beating it with blunt objects.

During the police investigation, the horse owner reportedly claimed that the assault was a "practice" carried out on horses during their training for equestrian purposes.

Commissioner Mirta Ramos, head of the Misiones Police, informed Última Hora last Tuesday that the horse was alive and under the care of its owner at the time.

It is important to note that Law No. 4840/2013 on Animal Protection and Welfare and its amendments classify cruel physical or mental abuse and assault against animals as very serious offenses in Article 32.

Article 31, paragraph 2 of the same law specifies that causing serious injury to domestic animals through beatings, burns, cuts, stabs, or firearms constitutes an act of cruelty, and Article 38 of Law No. 5892/2017 also establishes penalties for such acts.

The government recently enacted legislation increasing the penalties for animal abuse to a maximum of six years of imprisonment.