The current Act does not protect animals at all because the punishment for abuse and neglect is so minimal and unenforceable that invariably these cases just get lost and never get to court and the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes get of scott free!
Our animals are considered 'things', this needs to change and we need to follow New Zealands example and classify them as 'sentient beings' which is exactly what they are.
We need to plead on behalf of these poor vunerable animals who can not speak a human language and are grossly misunderstood. Let us come in our numbers to scream for them with one voice for mercy and respect.